Searching
by The Steppy One
Summary: Set after 'Together Forever' and during and directly after the final confrontation with Voldemort. Ron will do anything to help the one he loves including searching in a place no one else is allowed and a place he's not exactly sure exists.
1. 01 Making a Decision

**Well hello again!  
So this was a little unexpected. I had a brainwave about doing a small sequel to Together Forever and the idea has grown from a one-shot to a small multi chapter. I've decided to hold off posting the other multi-chapters I had planned until after the release of Deathly Hallows, as well as that small thing I have some other personal stuff that is taking up a bit of time, so I'll have even less time for writing and I want to put all my energy into those fics. Sorry, now I'm waffling.**

**So, as I said, this is an 'after' to Together Forever, but won't be hugely long.  
As ever, any constructive feedback is appreciated, so please let me know what you think. ;)**

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Chapter 1 - Making a Decision 

'_Avada Kedavra!'_

They'd been fighting off the Death Eaters to keep them away from Harry, to give him chance to finish of Voldemort for good. Her heart had leapt when she heard the words, but then it sank within an instant when she realised it wasn't Harry's voice that had screamed the killing curse.

She desperately wanted to look over her shoulder to make sure Harry was still alive, but she couldn't. There was a tall Death Eater bearing down on her and he was intent on causing as much damage to her as possible before he killed her.

'_Sectumsempra!'_ he screamed at her, and her eyes widened as she saw, in slow motion, the curse coming towards her.

She turned out of its way. It didn't hit her fully, but skimmed her side. She felt the stinging sensation spread around her waist, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins numbed the pain and she concentrated on throwing her own curses at the Death Eater.

'_Vehementia! Compressio!'_

The Death Eater stumbled backwards and lost his footing as a result of the first curse, and then was thrown backwards as a result of the second. He landed on the ground and didn't move. Hermione didn't like to think that she might have just killed him, even though it was more than likely that she had. Not many people could live when their lungs had been compressed to a ridiculous degree.

She took a second to breathe and that's when the pain in her side came back to her. Not so bad that it distracted her completely, but enough to make her stop and look at her wound. There was blood all over her top and it snaked its way round her stomach and stopped where she knew her belly button was.

'_Hermione_!' Ron screamed at her. '_What the hell happened_? IMPEDIMENTA!'

The Death Eater Ron was fighting flew backwards and landed hard on the ground twenty feet away, accompanied by a sickening crack as his head hit the solid earth.

Ron ran to Hermione and looked at her blood soaked top.

'I'm fine, Ron!' she said before he had the chance to open his mouth.

'No, you're not! You're pouring with blood, Hermione! Let me help you!'

She glanced over his shoulder and saw a hooded figure running towards Harry. This was what she was afraid of; her and Ron failing in their mission of keeping everything but Voldemort away from Harry. Her eyes widened.

'Ron! Harry! Help him!' she spluttered.

Ron whipped his head round and he saw the man running towards the duel that was raging between Harry and Voldemort. As he was about to let go and leave Hermione, she stumbled into him, the blood loss finally taking its toll on her body.

'Shit! Hermione! What's wrong?' He grasped her arms and steadied her.

'Go, Ron! Now!'

He went to argue but she looked at him fiercely.

'You _promised_ me! You _promised_ Harry! Go and protect him! You need to! GO!'

---

His jaw clenched. He knew that he had to leave her to go and help Harry. He nodded curtly and ran away from her, anger filling him with every step he took away from Hermione.

He headed for the hooded figure, hatred filling his heart more as he got closer. It was _him_ who had made him choose between the two people who he loved more than anyone else in the world.

He sent a curse at his back and the wizard stumbled and hit the ground. He scrambled to his feet and carried on running without looking at where the curse had come from.

'NO!' Ron screamed and fired another three curses at the figure.

Again he fell and this time he didn't get up.

Ron stood over him and rolled him onto his back with the toe of his boot. The fallen man was struggling to open his eyes, obviously just stunned. Ron wasn't surprised, that was what he intended.

---

Hermione watched from the floor, her legs having gone from underneath her, as the man she loved did what he had promised Harry the night before. He had simply said he would protect Harry, right until the end, whatever that end was.

She winced as she watched his boot meet the form on the ground, and closed her eyes when she saw him draw his foot back once more.

Tiredness washed over her, but she fought it. She took a deep breath and forced herself to get to her feet. Her head spun and her eyes were unfocused, but then she saw it: another figure moving out from behind a tree and towards Harry.

'Ron!' she shouted but he didn't hear her.

She moved forwards, managing to break out into a run. Her heart pounded in her ears, her vision still not fully focused.

'Depulso!' she hissed and the spell threw the Death Eater back, away from Harry.

Then she heard it; an almighty scream filled her ears and shook every bone in her body. Her head whipped round, as did everyone who heard the noise.

There was a golden light surrounding Voldemort and it seemed to be causing him huge physical pain. He was struggling to break whatever it was that had engulfed him and briefly turned his wand on himself. It did no good though, both Hermione and Ron knew what the spell was and that it wasn't going to leave him. They were just waiting for the final spell from Harry.

The killing curse.

Ron watched his best friend raise his wand and gather all his mental and physical strength. He glanced over at Hermione and was somewhat relieved to see her still standing. He subconsciously held his breath as Harry screamed the killing curse at Voldemort, and the green light left his wand.

The screaming stopped abruptly. Hermione had never felt so strange, there was no way to describe it. She stopped breathing, waiting for anything to tell her that it was all over, that they had defeated the most evil wizard of all time.

That was when the pain overtook her, hitting her with a force that made her cry out and fall to the ground. Her hand went to her side and she felt the warm stickiness that was her blood clotting but failing to stop the flow. Her head spun again and she curled up in a ball on the cold ground. Her eyes were closing, even though she was desperately trying to keep them open. She had to know what had happened. Had to know that Ron and Harry were okay, that they were all going to be okay.

Blackness invaded her peripheral vision, but then she felt hands on her, strong hands that were pulling hers away from her side. She saw a wand moving constantly and heard the ragged breathing of someone close to her interspersed with mumblings of spells.

'Come on, Hermione. Hold on for me, okay? Just stay with me. You're going to be fine.'

She felt herself being lifted and managed to open her eyes enough to see who's arms she was in.

She gave the smallest smile when she saw Ron's blue eyes above her.

'I l…' she started before having to stop. She was so tired, she just wanted to rest and sleep.

'Hermione!' Ron said again. 'Stay awake for me. For _me_, Hermione.'

'l…love you,' she whispered before letting the blackness overtake her completely.

…oooOOOooo…

Ron was pacing. He had never paced so much in his entire life.

'Ron!' Harry appeared in front of him looking battered and beaten, but his eyes showing the energy still left in him. 'How is she?'

'I don't know! No one will tell me anything because I'm not family!'

'Oh for Merlin's sake!'

'What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be-'

'What?' Harry snapped. 'Shouldn't I be what, exactly?'

'Sorting yourself out? Getting checked over? Asking my sister why she didn't do exactly as she was told and stay away from that…place?'

'I'm fine, all my ridiculously insignificant injuries have been sorted, regardless of how much I protested that there were other people who needed help more than I did, and have you _ever_ been successful in persuading your sister to not try and help protect her brother, friend and boyfriend?'

Ron stopped walking and looked at Harry.

'Ex-boyfriend!' he said looking confused.

'Boyfriend.'

'Boyfriend?'

'Issue?'

Ron shrugged. 'No. But…are you sure you're okay?'

'I will be when I know Hermione is going to be.'

Ron shook his head and a look of anger crossed his face.

'It's not your fault she's in here, Ron.'

Ron glared defiantly at Harry.

'I'll promise not to blame myself if you promise the same,' Ron replied, looking more serious than Harry had ever seen him look.

'Is this where you tell me that you were both there because you needed to be and you would have taken it as a personal insult if I'd asked you to not be there?'

'Exactly.'

'Fine, then I'll tell you that she needed you to leave her and protect me,' he took a deep breath, he hoped Ron hadn't notice the obvious shake as he inhaled, 'because I couldn't concentrate on anything else but Riddle. I didn't like it when you told me that was what you were going to do and I don't like that you actually _had_ to do it, but I…I understand…I suppose. What was it that Hermione said? "There's a bigger picture to our existence. The way our people live is at stake. Their freedom is at stake." I think she summed it up quite well, don't you?' He managed a half smile and Ron looked like he was trying to do the same, but failed. 'But…I won't, I won't ever get over the fact that she- that she might…because of me,'

'Don't! Don't say that! She won't. She _can't!_'

Ron stopped talking before his voice cracked with emotion. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

'We all did what we had to do. End of story, okay?' he said quietly.

Harry nodded. They would talk about it, of course they would, but later, now they had to try and find out what had happened to Hermione.

'What do you say to me pulling the 'Saviour of the Wizarding World' crap to get us information on Hermione?'

Ron looked the smallest bit hopeful.

'You don't mind? You hate all that bollocks!'

'I know I do, but I hate not knowing what's happened to my best friend more. Come on. Let's go and find ourselves a Healer to interrogate.'


	2. 02 Desperate for an Answer

**Remember about a year ago when I updated every three or four days? lol I'd tell you to not get used to it but I do plan to get this churned out pretty quickly so hopefully I'll be able to! Thank you for the reviews for chapter one, much appreciated :D**

**This one gets a bit angsty, feel free to hug Ron at the end!**

**Step ;)**

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Chapter 2 – Desperate for an Answer

He was staring at his mud-spattered boots, unblinking and trying to ignore the thoughts that were flying through his head, but there was nothing to distract him from them. Wherever he had walked to and sat down was quiet. He was glad there was no noise to add to his pounding headache, but the silence only left him staring his thoughts in the face.

He couldn't help but see Hermione in his arms, getting paler by the second, her spirit fading as she mumbled those last three words to him.

He was brought back to his surroundings by footsteps to his left.

'There you are, we've been looking for you,' the person who the footsteps belonged to said.

Ron looked up and into his brother's eyes.

'What are you doing here?' he asked gruffly. 'Shouldn't you be doing something official?'

'I am doing,' Percy replied, his voice tired.

'Look Perce, if you're here to have a go at me, or-'

'I'm not here to have a go at you, and I have no idea why you would think I am. I'm here to take you to Hermione's parents, they've requested to see you.'

Ron felt sick; he didn't think he could face the accusing glares and harsh words from her mum and dad.

'Why do they, er…why do they want to see me?'

He had stood up and was trying to blink his head rush out of his eyes without Percy noticing he couldn't see properly.

'Ron, are you all right?'

Apparently his efforts had been in vain.

'Yeah, fine. Just stood up too fast.'

'Have you been checked over by a Healer?' Percy asked, stepping towards his younger brother.

Ron waved away his question. 'I'm fine, Percy, stop fussing. Why do Hermione's parents want to see me?'

Percy looked reluctant to dismiss Ron's health worries but let it go for the minute. 'I don't know exactly. But they asked me to get you to them as quickly as possible. They were in with the Healer when I left them. I think you should go, Ron.'

'No offence, Perce, but you've been wrong before!'

Percy sniggered. 'True, I have, but if there was a time to believe I'm right about something, then now would be the time. They just want to see you, Ron. I promise you it'll be okay.'

Ron searched Percy's eyes for the truth, and thought he'd found it.

'Promise?'

'I promise, now come on. As soon as you've seen the Grangers you can get checked over. No arguments.'

Ron didn't reply as he followed Percy back down the corridor.

---

They rounded the final corner to the reception area in the hospital and were met by their mother's screeches.

'Ronnie! Oh Percy, you found him! Where've you been?'

'Mum, please, leave him for now, the Grangers have asked to see him.'

'But—'

'Come on, Ron. This way.'

Percy stood between Ron and their mum, providing the much-needed barrier that allowed Ron to escape him mother's clutches.

Molly opened her mouth to argue.

'Mum, he needs to see them, and he won't be long.'

Ron wasn't sure if he was grateful or not for Percy's words. Avoiding his mother when she was frantic was a bonus but it meant that he would have to face the Grangers before he was ready.

He stopped walking when he realised he didn't know where he was supposed to be going. Percy overtook him and pointed in the direction he was expected to go. They went down yet another corridor and then stopped when they came to a dark, wooden door with a brass plaque at eye level. It read 'Relative's room'.

Percy knocked lightly and the door opened from the inside. Ron looked at the man who had opened the door, instantly a little wary of the person he didn't know.

'Weasley?' the man asked.

'This is my brother, Ronald Weasley—'

The door was pulled open from inside the room and Veronica Granger appeared. Ron only had a second to recognise the woman in front of him before she pulled him forward by his robes and hugged him.

'Thank you,' she whispered. 'Thank you for saving her.'

He pulled back automatically. 'But I-, I didn't-'

He couldn't form a sentence properly so stopped trying.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Charles Granger stand and walk over to him.

'You got her here before it was too late, Ron. She's alive because you got her to people who could help her. Even before you did that you gave her the extra minutes she needed to take her through the worst.'

'But I- it was just a blood replenishment spell and a basic wound healing charm. It didn't help her, she was still bleeding, I couldn't stop it. I tried, believe me, but I—'

His voice cracked as tears filled his eyes. Veronica stepped forward and steered him over to the sofa at the edge of the room. The man who opened the door to him shut it and stood in front of it.

'We haven't had chance to speak to the Healer properly since we arrived—'

'They haven't told you what's going on yet?' Ron asked, outraged that Hermione's family didn't know what was wrong with her. He stood and made his way over to the door. 'I'll get a Healer to talk to you, you need to know what's going on!'

He stopped when the man in front of the door didn't move out of his way.

'It's hard for me to get through the door with you in the way, you know,' he said irritably.

The man was about to answer when Charles took his arm.

'Ron, it's fine, the Healer who is looking after Hermione said he'd be back in minutes but an emergency came in and he had to leave. He told us she's alive, and that's all we needed to know. The rest of the details can come when he's back. That's why we asked you to be here. We want you to hear when we do.'

Ron stopped glaring at the unhelpful man on hearing Charles' words and turned round to look at him.

'But…no, that's not right, you're her family, you should hear this first. Not me.'

'Ron,' Veronica began, 'Hermione loves you, and because of that, we want you here. She told us a little of what you've been doing over the past, eighteen months, but she seems to have missed out a few details—'

'Like the actual taking down of the one who tried his hardest take over the Wizarding world and what could've happened to her in the process!' Charles snapped angrily.

'Charles!' Veronica said sharply.

Charles sighed and nodded his head slightly. 'Sorry,' he mumbled. 'I'm just thankful you were there to look after her, Ron. If I can't be there to look after my little girl, I'm glad there was someone there to watch over her.'

The guilt inside Ron's stomach grew to an unbearable level. He felt sick.

'I…I didn't though, did I?'

Neither Veronica or Charles had chance to reply before the door opened and the large man blocking the door was buffeted out the way.

'I'm so sorry about that Mister and Missus Granger, as you can imagine it is rather busy in here tonight.' He turned to the man – Ron presumed he was Ministry security of some sort, the robes matched their uniform – and gestured for him to leave. The man scowled and reluctantly left the room. The Healer was quite a bit shorter than Ron, his once thick, dark brown hair was greying at the sides and thinning on top. His manner was instantly likeable and everyone felt at ease around him.

'Right, now—' He looked up at Ron and his brow furrowed slightly. 'Mister Weasley, have you been checked over thoroughly?'

Ron was taken aback by being addressed directly, he barely recognised the Healer that he had somehow managed to tell Hermione's condition to when they arrived.

Ron shook his head, again dismissing the question of his welfare and waving his hand in the direction of the Grangers.

'Don't worry about me, there's more important things…'

The Healer's eyes closed a little, scrutinising Ron before nodding to him and taking a seat opposite Veronica. He took a deep breath and took his glasses off before wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

'Ron is here at our invitation, Healer Watson.'

He nodded before taking a deep breath.

'Hermione is stable but is in a serious condition. She was hit by a curse that sliced through her side and spread around her waist and her back. Not only that but there seems to have been some type of contamination, an infection of sorts which infected her blood stream. We've managed to clean her blood but we're concerned of the effects that had along with the reaction her body had to the amount of blood she lost. She's sedated, but there's no guarantee that when the sedation wears off that she will wake up. We are hopeful that she will wake up in her own time though, when her body has recovered fully from the trauma she suffered.'

No one answered the Healer's words. Ron stared at his boots once more, not wanting to meet the eye of anyone in the room. It was Charles who broke the silence.

'When you say you are hopeful that she will wake, how hopeful? What are the chances that she will recover fully from this?

Ron wasn't sure if he wanted to hear what the Healer had to say, but he raised his head to watch the Healer speak regardless.

'I'd say her chances of waking up are good, but of her being unaffected by her trauma on a physical level…well, I'm less optimistic. Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to get Hermione back to you healthy and happy. It just might take some time. Do any of you have any questions?'

Ron felt uncomfortable about being in the room. He felt like he was intruding on a family moment and he felt his panic start to overwhelm him once more.

He walked towards the door and walked out the room, ignoring Veronica's questioning 'Ron' as he did. He carried on along the corridor, not wishing to return to the never ending questions he was sure his family would throw at him. He didn't know where Harry was, but he hoped that he wasn't being forced to be the Ministry's poster boy when he hadn't had time to absorb the enormity of what he had been through that night.

He went through a set of double doors and met one of the many staircases in the hospital. He took them three at a time and when he was one floor up, sat down heavily on the top step, resting his head against the wall.

He closed his eyes and regretted it instantly.

'I'm sorry Hermione,' he whispered.

He tried to let her words comfort him

'_Promise me, Ron. Promise me that if you have to choose between helping me, or helping Harry, you'll help him. He's the only who matters. It's our job to keep Voldemort's henchmen away from him, okay?'_

He had promised, he had hated doing it, but he knew, deep down that she was right. He would have expected her to do the same, choose to help Harry over him. That was the way it had to be.

It didn't stop the tears burning his eyes as he saw, once again, the blood staining her clothes and covering her hands, her curled up on the ground, her energy leaving her. How limp she went in his arms and how she put up no fight when he passed her to the Healers.

It tore him apart to let her go, but his brain took over his heart and he let the Healers do their job.

He didn't notice when someone sat heavily next to him until they spoke.

'I'm a bit overwhelmed myself.'

Ron jumped and sat up straight before realising who had sat next to him. He relaxed a little when Charles gave him a reassuring smile.

He sniffed. 'Sorry for leaving like that. I just felt like I was intruding.'

'We wanted you there, Ron. We know what you are to Hermione; you deserved to find out how she was when we did.'

'I'm not sure about that, but, thanks anyway. It means a lot. She…she never meant to keep things from you, you know, but she had something she needed to do, we both did, and she didn't want you knowing the things we went through. We needed to help Harry, there was no way we weren't going to be there for him. She just…didn't want you to worry about her too much. I…I tried to keep her safe…all the time…she hated it sometimes, but I couldn't not! But tonight…'

He had talked himself to the subject he least wanted to talk about, but he couldn't stop himself.

'She made me leave her. She was hurt and I tried to stop and help her, but she told me to leave her and help Harry!'

His breathing was becoming uneven and his voice had started to crack under the emotion.

'I wanted to stay with her but they were going after Harry and we couldn't let anything happen to him. This was our, _his_, only chance to get rid of him and we had to get it right! I'm…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't keep her safe. I'm so sorry.'

A tear escaped his eye but he quickly wiped it off his cheek with the back of his hand.

'Ron…as much as I hated knowing that she was in danger, I'm so proud of her for being there with you and Harry. I know it goes against every fatherly instinct I have but…I don't know, you needed her there, didn't you?'

Ron nodded. 'More than she will ever know. Both of us did.'

'Then I'm proud of her for sticking with you. If there's one thing my Hermione is, it's determined.'

Ron smiled. 'You could say that.'

'And I don't blame you for doing what you had to do Ron. None of you should have had to do any of this, but that's the way it played out. You can't second-guess your actions, things never turn out the way we think it will. If she told you to leave her and protect Harry, then that's what you had to do. She'll come out of this Ron, I know she will.'

Ron managed a smile and a nod of the head.

'And I thank you for taking care of her all this time.'

Ron's smile slipped but he managed to nod once more.

Charles stood and held out his hand to Ron. Ron took it and was pulled to his feet.

'I think it's time you got checked out. I have a feeling you'll want to be here a lot over then next few days, but you'll be no good to Hermione ill or injured, okay?'

Ron nodded again. 'I'll go and see a Healer now.'

They both walked down the stairs and stopped at the double doors, looking at Molly and Veronica comforting each other outside the Relative's Room. Charles took a deep breath.

'Thanks, Charles. For…well, not blaming me.'

'Well, maybe if you realise I don't blame you, then you'll stop blaming yourself. Eventually anyway.'

Charles pushed his way through the door and Ron followed.

_Yeah,_ Ron thought, _eventually._


	3. 03 Grasping at Dreams

**A bit of familiarity with Together Forever in this one, which isn't that surprising really, it being the sequel! lol**

**If you could let me know what you think it would be much appreciated. Ta ;)**

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Chapter 3

He couldn't run any faster. His heart was pounding and his lungs were burning but he kept on running. Running to find her and help her.

He caught sight of her, she was lying on the ground, her hair clogged with her blood.

He landed next to her and lifted her into his lap.

'Wake up, Hermione. Wake up.'

Her eyes opened and instantly filled with tears.

'Where were you, Ron? You were here and then you left.'

Tears burned his eyes.

'I know. I'm sorry. I had to go.'

'You left me!'

Tears fell from her eyes and into her hair.

'I know! I'm so sorry Hermione, I'll never leave you again.'

'Ron, where are you? You're leaving me again aren't you?'

His brow furrowed. 'No! I'm still here Hermione, I'll never leave you again!' His tears joined hers in her hair. 'Look at me, Hermione, I'm still here, holding you.'

'Ron! Why have you left me? Ron? _Ron?_'

'RON!'

'NO!' he shouted as he jerked awake. Hands were holding him in his sitting position on the floor in Hermione's private room.

He looked at the eyes of the person in front of him, not aware that he had grabbed hold of their shoulders when he woke up.

'It was a dream, Ron. You're awake now. It was all a dream!'

'Harry?'

'I'm here, and so are you. You're in Hermione's room, remember? You sat down for a rest and you fell asleep.'

'Hermione,' Ron repeated before clamping his eyes shut before his tears escaped him. His dream had invaded his brain with full force.

'I left her!' Ron whispered.

Harry scowled at him, waiting until Ron opened his eyes to look at him before speaking

'Stop it!' he hissed at Ron. 'We promised each other we'd not do the guilt thing. I needed your help, she told you to leave me, you did both and we're still alive. This guilt shit stops now, okay?'

Ron glanced into Harry's eyes and was momentarily taken aback by the determination in them.

He managed a nod then looked past Harry at the other people in the room. His dad and Hermione's dad were looking over at him, obviously concerned. Arthur raised his eyebrows at him questioningly. He nodded at them both to reassure them he was fine. He looked over at Ginny who looked at him and mimed the action for drinking. He smiled at her and shook his head, instantly becoming aware of how dry his throat was.

'You okay now?' Harry asked.

'Fine,' Ron stated simply. 'Any change?'

Harry shook his head. 'There won't be, they haven't reduced the sedation yet. They're gonna keep her sedated over night and then reduce it in the morning.'

'Will they be able to find out any more when the do?' Ron asked as he got to his feet.

Harry nodded his head. 'Yeah, they'll be able to do more tests on her and see if the contamination did any damage, and they should be able to see how deep a coma she's in. Then again she might just wake up when the sedation wares off. Either way, they'll find out more tomorrow.'

Ron nodded. 'Yeah…tomorrow.'

…oooOOOooo…

He was staring at his boots again but this time they weren't blood spattered, his mother having cleaned them for him the night before when they got home. Well, it had been about half four when they actually got home and about seven by the time Ron fell into a fitful sleep, which was punctuated by nightmares and him waking himself up by shouting out loud.

It was now eleven o'clock; Hermione had been taken off her sedation an hour ago.

She hadn't woken up. Even an hour later she was still lying in the exact same position she had been put in after her last round of diagnostic spells. When they had spoken to Healer Watson outside her room, his words washed over him, the odd sentence sticking in his mind. '…are not discouraged…' '…she's fighting…' '…cautiously optimistic…'

One stuck in his head more than others, though, and he remembered the look in the Healer's eyes when he said that Hermione was in a deep coma. It wasn't the worst Watson had seen, he had said, and when Ron didn't reply, that's when the other more positive phrases had been thrown at him.

The result was still the same though. Hermione hadn't woken up.

He was sitting in an uncomfortable chair at the foot end of Hermione's bed. Her parents were on either side of her; her dad stroking her hair and her mum never letting go of her hand.

Harry was at the Burrow with Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys. They were both falling asleep on their feet and Harry had had something of a small panic attack. It was a few things that hit him at once that took him over the edge and it had happened quite suddenly. He had been talking to Arthur, managing the odd smile on occasion before he suddenly went pale and shaky and found it hard to breath. Once he had calmed down a little, Ginny took him to the Burrow and they had been there ever since.

Ron understood Harry's feelings. He had been teetering on the edge of panic since he had seen Hermione get hurt, but had, somehow, kept himself together. He felt he owed it to Charles and Veronica on some level. The last thing they needed was him panicking. They had an unconscious daughter to panic over, they didn't need him bringing his troubles to the equation.

'Do you want a drink, Ron?' Charles asked, bringing him back to Hermione's private room.

'What? Oh! Er, yeah, tea please.'

'Milk and sugar?' Charles replied with a smile.

'Yes and three, thanks.'

Ron expected some sort of comment about the amount of sugar he took in his tea, but if Charles thought it strange, or objected on a purely professional level, he didn't show it. He left the room quietly, leaving Ron and Veronica with Hermione.

'How are you, Ron?' Veronica asked.

Ron was taken aback, he wasn't expecting her attention to wander from anyone but Hermione.

'Oh, er, I'm fine.' He smiled, trying to reiterate his words. 'Are, er…are you okay? I mean…obviously…' he sighed, knowing he was stuttering. Veronica smiled at him. 'Sorry,' he said, returning the small smile.

'We haven't really had a chance to get to know each other, have we Ron?'

Despite everything that was going on, Ron's stomach squirmed for a new reason. It was true, he didn't know Hermione's parents very well. He had met them a few times before, the last two being the times they had actually conversed fully, but they had been fleeting visits. Even so, it had gone from a 'Nice to meet you, Ron,' from Charles during the first of them, to 'Keep her safe for me, Ron,' the second time. That was quite a jump in anyone's book.

Ron cleared his throat, ignoring the fact that it had suddenly become quite hot in the room. 'No, I don't suppose we have.'

Veronica nodded at the chair and looked back at Ron. He took the hint and walked over to the chair Charles had been sat in. He sat down and instantly took Hermione's hand in his own.

'I can't thank you and your family enough, Ron,' Veronica said with a smile. 'Your mum and dad, they let Hermione stay with you every summer during school. They made her feel welcome, treated her like a daughter. And then you, well,' she smiled at Ron, and he felt himself go red, 'you captured her heart and gave her yours in return.'

Ron looked at his boots again. He realised where Hermione had got her way with words from and allowed himself a small smile.

'Yeah she did, long before I realised it.'

'Oh I think it was the same with her, Ron. As much as you will never hear her say it, you stole her heart a long time before she let herself realise it.'

'You know, a lot of things could have been avoided if someone had told us both this!' Ron said with a chuckle.

Veronica laughed out loud. 'But where was the fun in that?'

Ron nodded.

'Plus,' Veronica continued, 'it's much more exciting realising these things for yourself, wouldn't you say?'

Ron thought for a second. He remembered the feeling when he realised he was in love with Hermione. Once he'd got over the scared feeling he didn't think would ever leave him, he felt excited, nervous but overwhelmingly happy.

'Yeah,' he replied quietly. 'Yeah you're right. I love her, I need her in my life, she's…she's…she's in this mess because of me.'

'No Ron!' Veronica said sharply, staring at him with wide eyes. 'Hermione was there because she wanted to be, no one forced her to be there did she? Neither you nor Harry dragged her along kicking and screaming against her will, did you?'

'No! Of course not! But…are you blaming Hermione for landing herself in hospital?' Ron hadn't meant to sound accusing, but his protective instinct had taken over. His need to protect Hermione's honour becoming predominant.

'Blame doesn't come into it, Ron. If you absolutely _need_ to pin blame on someone, blame the man who decided to try and oppress your people with darkness and prejudiced ways, or the person who threw the damn spell at her, but there was a reason why you were there, both of you. You were there because you needed to be, because neither of you are the type of people who take the easy way out of things. You were there because you couldn't have lived with the idea of not being there.'

Veronica's eyes didn't leave Ron's and he nodded his head the tiniest amount.

'Charles has already told you it wasn't your fault, Harry has told you to leave the guilt behind, maybe a third person's opinion will finally be able to fight it's way through that red hair into your head.'

Ron chuckled and nodded. 'It might not be instant; I can't help thinking of the 'what ifs'. What if I'd managed to finish off the Death Eater who cursed her? What if I'd taken just a few more seconds to make sure she was okay? What if I'd made her heal herself before I left—'

'Ron, stop. What if Charles and I hadn't let Hermione go to Hogwarts? What if we'd stopped her going on the travels you've been on? What if we'd stopped her having the chance to become the caring, determined and loyal person she's become? Every decision that is made has its consequences, Ron; we are in no position to second-guess any of them. It's a one way trip to madness if you do.'

'Oh don't worry about that, I've already got my ticket booked for that journey, they're just waiting for me to arrive at the station!'

Veronica allowed herself to smile.

'That's okay, they do return trips as well. You'll be back before you know it. Talking of coming back, I wonder where Charles is with our tea?'

'Do you want me to go and find him?' Ron asked, glad of the change of subject.

'Actually, I think I'll go, I think I need to stretch my legs a bit. Will you stay with her?'

'Of course,' Ron said, shifting his weight on his chair.

Veronica stood and made her way to the door. When she got there she turned and looked at Ron.

'Remember what I said, Ron, the blaming and 'what ifs' stop now, okay?'

'Okay.'

---

When Veronica had left the room Ron took Hermione's hand in both of his and kissed her knuckles. He stood up and leant over her, perching on the edge of her bed.

'Hey sleepy,' he said with a smile. He leant forward and kissed her forehead gently. He pulled back and smiled. She looked peaceful and that thought comforted him.

He slipped back onto the uncomfortable chair. He leaned forward and rested his head on the bed, his hand still tightly curled around Hermione's. He closed his eyes; he was just so tired. He realised that at that minute there wasn't anything to stay awake for and a few minutes shut eye would be good for him. He inhaled deeply and relaxed his mind. Hermione had taught him how to minimise the horrors that sometimes invaded their thoughts before they went to sleep. He visited his calm environment; on a broom over an endless field, the wind in his hair and the sun on the back of his neck.

He sighed, content, he'd be able to do that again soon, now that their 'adventure' was over, he'd go flying as often as he liked. But he'd always come back down to where Hermione was waiting for him.

---

_Merlin, I've missed flying_!

He took his hands from his broom and stretched his arms to the side, tensing the muscles before relaxing and taking the broom in his hands again.

He had been in the air for a while now and he wanted to feel the luscious grass he could see, beneath his feet.

The wind suddenly strengthened and he tightened his grip on his broom, frowning slightly and wondering where the sharp change in wind had come from.

The sky darkened quicker than he had ever seen before. The wind whipped his hair into his eyes and then in the other direction before he had chance to notice the discomfort.

At the first clap of thunder he urged his broom towards the floor. Lightening hit the ground on his right hand side and he swerved to the left but still diving for the ground. He didn't slow down as he got nearer to the grass, he knew how his broom behaved and knew at what height he needed to be to slow down and stop safely.

That distance came and went and he panicked as his broom didn't slow no matter how hard he pulled the handle upwards. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable crash.

There was an unbearable pain in his head, so much so he brought his hands to his temples in a vain attempt to lessen the throbbing that pounded in time with his heartbeat.

The pain disappeared as soon as it arrived. He cautiously opened his eyes, expecting the pain to return again in full force, but it didn't.

He was on his back, and he blinked. As he did an image filled his mind, there was a tree with engravings on it. He blinked again and he was sat with someone on the grass, their foreheads together. Once more his eyes closed and he saw a sunset rising, but that didn't fit with the other images, it was from another place. He shook his head and opened his eyes, looking at the grass.

He didn't know if the images he was seeing were real or not. He stood up suddenly and whirled around. He stopped dead when he saw a tree, it was the one he had just seen in his mind's eye and he moved towards it, hoping it would tell him…something, _anything_.

His eyes sought the markings he knew were there and after a few steps around the tree, he found them.

His gaze dropped to the bottom of the tree and he crouched down. He looked at the roughly carved heart at the bottom. He looked at the rest of the tree but the rest of the shapes weren't there. He reached out and touched the letters.

Pain shot up his arm and into his head. Images crashed through his mind one after the other, his heart raced as he started to remember. He remembered things that he thought he'd never know about; images from that one month, over two years ago that he and Hermione lived but didn't remember a second of.

Then it hit him. Hermione wasn't here. As if someone had control of the memories he was seeing, he saw her coming to find him and comfort him when he had been ill in hospital after being poisoned. She had found him here, in the same place he was, but if he was here when _he_ was ill, then where was Hermione when she was?

He scrambled to his feet and ran away from the tree.

'Hermione!' he called, still running. 'Hermione! Are you here?'

He stopped running and listened, waiting for a sound, any sound at all. He heard none.

'Hermione, where are you?' his eyes searched all around him. When he saw nothing he ran on, still calling her name and hoping against all hope that he would get some indication that she was there with him.

Eventually he stopped running, his search for Hermione fruitless.

He turned around and something on the ground caught his eye. Something was moving in the long grass and was moving away from him. He walked after it, quickening to a jog when whatever it was started moving further away from him.

'Hey, slow down!'

He shook his head when he realised he didn't even know what he was talking to, or whether there was actually anything there.

He stopped abruptly, however, when whatever it was, brought him to a large rock. He slumped down beside it and cautiously reached out his fingers and touched the stone.

He expected it to be cold but it wasn't. Heat was radiating off it. As he stared at it, the markings that he thought were random patterns in the stone started to merge together to form letters.

His brow furrowed as he read the words and as soon as he had, everything went black.


	4. 04 Releasing a Memory

**Hello all! Thank you for the reviews, much appreciated, if you could do it again it would make me very happy :D**

**Step ;)**

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Chapter 4

'Bollocks!' Ron exclaimed, jumping to his feet and frantically looking around. The words he knew he had to write down were fading from his mind. 'Quill…Pencil…_anything!_' His eyes landed on the other person in the room. 'Hermione!'

He frantically searched for Hermione's robes, shaking off the thought that they were covered in her own blood, if there was something that Hermione would always have on her person, it was something to write with.

He screwed up his eyes in concentration, trying to visualise the words engraved on the stone once more. He didn't know why they were important, but he knew that he had to remember them.

He crouched down and found Hermione's robes under the bed, neatly folded despite the rips and blood covering them. He shook them loose and fumbled through the pockets. His hand closed around something long, thin and cold. He wrenched it out the pocket and stared at it. It was a muggle pen.

'Parchment, parchment…' he growled in frustration before remembering Hermione write on her hand with the thing he was holding. He pulled the top off the pen and dropped it on the bed.

Closing his eyes he concentrated on the words he saw forming on the stone. Still with his eyes closed he started to write on the back of his hand.

He opened his eyes and was relieved to see the scrawled writing on his hand looked like what he had seen in his dreams.

He sighed in relief and landed heavily back in the chair.

The door opened and Charles arrived back in the room carrying two mugs of tea.

'I must say I do like the fact that you get your tea in proper cups, Ron. In our hospitals you get them in plastic or, God forbid polystyrene things!'

He held Ron's mug out to him and Ron took it with a nod.

'You okay, Ron? You're looking a bit pale. Drink your tea, you look like you need the sugar.'

Ron nodded and swallowed a mouthful of the tea, ignoring the burning in his mouth. Charles sat opposite him on the other chair and took a small sip from his mug.

After a few minutes, during which Ron only moved his eyes from his hand to the bed, Charles broke the silence.

'Ron? You're awfully quiet, you're not about to have a panic attack on me, are you?'

Ron nodded. 'I'm fine. Really. I just…had a strange dream.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah.' Ron thought for a second before looking at Charles. 'You wouldn't happen to know Latin would you Mister Granger?'

He didn't know what the words scrawled untidily on his hand meant, but he had been with Hermione for long enough during their research, or rather Hermione's research during their Horcrux hunt to know that the words had a grounding in, or were Latin.

'Latin?' Charles asked confused. 'As it happens I studied it at school, but that was a long time ago, I'm probably a bit rusty. Why do you ask?'

'You don't happen to know what this says, do you?'

Ron leaned over Hermione and showed Charles the back of his hand.

Charles squinted at the writing then leaned back and took a pair of glasses out of the inside pocket of his jacket and balanced them on his nose.

'Memor nos una, memor nostrum pretiritus,' he said quietly.

Ron nodded his head, telling Charles he had read the words correctly.

'Well, the 'nos' and 'nostrum' are pretty easy, us and _our_. 'Memor' I always used to think was memory, but it isn't, it's _remember_, so that makes _remember us _and _remember our_. So that leaves us with 'una', which, if I'm not mistaken means one, alone. But, wait…no, that can't be right that doesn't make sense, _remember us alone_? Let me think for a minute, actually can I have your pen?'

'What? Oh, yeah, of course, it's Hermione's anyway. Apparently you need a pen when going into battle with the most evil bastard who ever lived!'

Charles laughed out loud as he took the pen from Ron. Ron watched as Charles took a small diary out of his jacket and turned to the back pages. He wrote what Ron presumed was a long list of words, but he couldn't be sure.

'Aha! Gotcha. 'Unus' means alone and all that, 'una' means together, which, does seem to make more sense. Another thing that used to confuse me, I didn't understand why they'd have two words, which are so similar, when they mean the total opposite of each other. Anyway, if I'm right that first bit now reads, _remember us together_, and then _remember our_, and that last word is _past._'

'Oh, right, thanks!' Ron said, trying to think about what this meant, if it meant anything at all, or whether his brain was just coming up with random Latin phrases for the fun of it.

'Can I ask where that came from, Ron?'

'Er, yeah, I er…this may seem a little strange, but that was the last thing I saw in my dream before I woke up. Those words engraved on a stone.'

Charles nodded his head. 'Is that all you remember?'

Ron screwed up his eyes in concentration but couldn't remember anything else as much as he tried. He shook his head.

'Nothing, nothing at all, just these words.'

'Do you…do you normally dream of Latin phrases?'

Ron sniggered. 'Hardly. Hermione may have me recognising language forms, but she has yet to get me dreaming them. Up until now, that is.'

Charles laughed.

'Remember us together, remember our past,' he said quietly. 'The phrase doesn't mean anything to you, nothing from school, none of your lessons?'

Ron frowned and shook his head. 'Nothing at all. I don't even know who it's referring to, 'us' can mean a lot of people. I suppose the first 'us' I think of is me and Hermione, but I remember our past, all the time we were at school, and all the stuff we've been through afterwards.'

'Nothing happened when you were—' Charles' eyes widened. 'You remember _all_ the time you were at school, Ron. Even a certain month in your sixth year?'

Ron looked confused for a second, before his eyes widened like Charles' had and he sat up in his seat.

'That time that neither of can remember! After we swallowed Harry's dodgy Amortentia! But…' he tried to concentrate on his thoughts, but his tiredness was making it hard. 'Merlin, I wish I wasn't so tired! I wish I knew what this meant!'

'Ron, it might not mean anything at all! You said it yourself, you're tired and you've been through a lot in the last twelve hours. I think you need to get some sleep. Why don't you go home and come back in a few hours.'

'No! I can't leave her!'

Charles smiled kindly. 'Ron, as much as I'd love to see her wake up and walk out of here, I don't think it's going to happen in the next few hours. Even if it does, I will make sure you are the first to know about it, I promise you. You never know, you might have the same dream again and be able to make more sense of it.'

Ron looked at Charles for a bit longer. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Hermione here, but she wouldn't be on her own. Charles wasn't going anywhere and he was pretty sure Veronica would be the same.

'You promise you'll tell me if there's any change, I mean, even the smallest thing?'

'You have my word, Ron.'

'Thanks.'

'Finish your tea before you go though, I don't put three sugars in tea often you know, Ron. Enjoy it while you can!'

Ron laughed and drank his tea with Charles. They talked about things that didn't need a lot of concentration, but at the back of his mind were the words he had found in his dream.

_Remember us together, remember our past._

…oooOOOooo…

'Hello?'

There was a shuffling and Ginny hurtled into the room, wand drawn and ready to hex whoever had just arrived into oblivion.

'Oh, thank Merlin it's you!'

'Who else would it be?' Ron asked a smirk on his face as he sat heavily on one of the many chairs around the kitchen table.

'Look, just because Snake Face is dead, doesn't mean there aren't some really pissed of dark wizards out there ready to take revenge!' she shrieked.

'And some pissed off dark wizard is gonna walk into the house and shout 'hello' is he?'

Ginny opened her mouth to argue, but dropped her wand arm and fell into the chair opposite Ron.

'Where's Harry?' he asked.

'Dead to the world upstairs. He took some dreamless sleep potion. The Ministry has been owling him constantly, but Dad insisted he sleep before he does anything about it. After what you went through—, well, let's just say he needs some sleep. How come you're back? I thought we'd never get you away from the hospital.'

'Charles convinced me I needed to rest, but I only went on the promise he'd tell me if anything at all changed. I won't be here for long, just long enough to get my head straight. What about you? Have you had any sleep yet?'

Ginny shook her head. 'I've tried but I can't sleep.'

'But you're okay now Gin, we're safe now, it's all over!'

To his surprise Ginny burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. Ron stood and walked round to her side of the table. He effortlessly lifted her to her feet and hugged her.

'Come on, Gin, what's all this for?'

'I was so…so scared, R-Ron! I knew w…what you were doing, but…but I couldn't be there to h…help! You could have died! All of y-you.'

'Hey! Stop this now, Gin. We're here, we're safe and we're fine!'

'But…Her…Hermione—'

'Hermione will wake up when her body has recovered from what happened to her. She needs time to recover, that's why she's…how she is, okay?'

The squirming in his stomach started once again and he closed his eyes to stop tears forming.

_It's not your fault!_ He said to himself over and over again.

Ginny's sobs subsided and she pulled back from Ron.

'You gonna be okay?' he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

Ginny nodded. 'Yeah, I think I'll try and sleep now.'

'You gonna take some potion?'

Ginny shook her head and whipped her nose on her sleeve. 'No, I want to wake up if there's anything untoward going on.'

'You mean if any extremely polite dark wizards arrive and make sure there's no one in before going about their usual destruction routine?'

'Precisely!' she replied with a watery smile.

'Well, I'm gonna go and lie down for a bit too, I'll be up in my room, give me a shout if you need anything, okay?'

Ginny nodded. She preceded Ron out of the kitchen and they both made their way into their rooms.

Ron slumped down on his bed and pulled his boots off. They landed heavily on the floor and made no attempt to straighten them. He lay down and stared at his ceiling before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

---

He woke with a start, eyes searching his surroundings for familiarity. When he realised he was safe in his bedroom he calmed down a little, but then his heart sank as he remembered why he was lying in his room in the middle of the afternoon. The sun streaming through his window didn't so much to help his mood, but he was glad it wasn't raining nonetheless.

He closed his eyes and remembered the dream that had awoken him. Unlike his last one, this one came back to him in full force. He had been happy when the Hermione in his dream had woken up, but when she didn't speak anything but Latin to him and kept shouting the phrase he had scribbled on his hand over and over at him (interspersed only with cries of 'You left me!') he got angry and upset. His dream had ended with one last shriek of yell from Hermione and then he had woken up.

He didn't need his third year Divination textbook to help him interpret that dream, his guilt and lack of understanding of his Latin musings obviously weighing on his mind as he slept.

He sat up and decided to give up on the sleep idea. He pulled his boots back on and went down to the kitchen. He was surprised to see both Harry and Ginny sitting at the kitchen table.

'I thought you were going to get some sleep,' he said to Ginny as he squeezed Harry's shoulder silently asking if he was okay.

'I did, all of half an hour, which, if you went to sleep right away, is only quarter of an hour less than you!'

Ron smiled. 'Is that a subtle way of telling me not to go on at you for not sleeping?'

'Absolutely!' she said with a grin.

Ron nodded and sat down opposite Harry.

'How are you, mate? Okay?'

Harry nodded. 'Better than I was. Sleeping helped. I just couldn't organise all the stuff that's gone on in my head properly. I couldn't see past last night and that freaked me out a little. I'm sorry for abandoning you at the hospital.'

'You hardly abandoned me, Harry. After what you had to do last night I think you deserve to have a small flip out!'

Harry smiled. 'I take it there's no change with Hermione.'

Ron shook his head. 'No, unless anyone flooed or owled whilst I was asleep.'

He tried to keep his tone casual, but his sentence had sped up as it reached its end and he stared at Ginny.

Ginny sighed. 'Did I, or did I not promise you I would wake you if there was any news?'

'Sorry,' Ron mumbled. 'Then no, Harry. No change.'

'What's that on your hand?' Ginny asked grabbing Ron's hand from her side of the table and pulling as close to him as she could.

'That's one of the reasons why I couldn't sleep properly.'

'It's Latin isn't it?' Ginny asked, her brow furrowed.

'Yeah it is.'

'So what is it?' Harry asked.

'Okay, this may sound a bit weird, but…well…I dreamed it.'

Both Harry's and Ginny's brows furrowed. Before they could ask him anything else he carried on talking.

'I don't remember anything else of the dream, nothing whatsoever, but I woke up knowing I had to write it down.'

'Do you know what it means?' Harry asked.

'Yeah, I asked Charles and he translated it for me.'

Harry smiled. 'Like father, like daughter!'

Ron chuckled. 'Yeah, something like that. Anyway it means, 'Remember us together, remember our past'.'

Neither Harry nor Ginny answered for a minute.

'And you don't remember _anything_ else about the dream?'

'I know I saw the words on a rock, but that's all. Actually…' he screwed his eyes up in concentration. 'There might have been grass around it. Yeah, there was longish grass around the rock.'

'Green grass?' Ginny asked.

'Course it was bloody green! What other colour would it be?'

'Ron, I think I'm entitled to question the colour of the grass when you've had a dream about Latin phrases!'

Ron scowled. 'Okay, you may have a point.'

'Try this,' Harry said coming out of his thoughts. 'Don't think too much,' Ginny sniggered, 'and just say what comes into your head, okay?'

Ron nodded, but looked a little sceptical.

'What colour was the grass?'

Ron raised his eyebrows.

'Just answer the question!' Harry said with a grin. 'And shut your eyes, it'll help you not concentrate!'

'Fine. Green.'

'What colour was the rock?'

'Grey.'

'What colour were the words?'

'A darker grey.'

'What colour was the sky?'

'Blue.'

'Was it warm?'

'Yep.'

'No breeze?'

'Small breeze.'

'Peaceful?'

'Yep.'

'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

'How the hell would I know?'

'Not you, Ginny!'

Ron opened his eyes and saw his sister and her boyfriend looking intently at each other.

'Hermione described it pretty much how Ron did then, except the rock of course,' Ginny said to Harry

'So did Ron.'

'Er, hello! Is this a private party or is anyone allowed in?'

'Only if you bring your own booze,' Harry retorted but before Ron had chance to make any sort of reply Harry spoke again.

'Is there nothing about your dream that's familiar to you, at all?'

'Well, not really, I suppose it has a resemblance to the calm place Hermione made me make up for when I'm uptight and stressed.'

'It's where you both went when you shared dreams.'

Ron stared at his sister after her announcement, and didn't really know what to think about it.

'Not just your dreams, you told me that when you were ill, you went to that place and stayed with each other, doing the head thing you did until you woke up.'

'I…we…_what_?'

'After you'd helped each other heal that time – when you collapsed in the hospital wing in front of Lavender – all we could see was you holding hands and transferring your pain to and from each other to level it out, but you told me and I think Hermione told Gin, that you were in a huge field with blue sky above you and a nice breeze that calmed you down and made you feel safe. It was your…sanctuary if you like.'

Ron shook his head, all the information that had just been thrown at him rattling round it and not making sense to him at all. 'And you think that's where I was in my dream last night?'

Ginny shrugged. 'It makes sense, doesn't it, even more so if you can't remember it.'

'How does me not remembering it make more sense?'

'Because if it was somewhere that you went together and only when you had that connection, and you can't remember any of that time, then visiting it in your dreams when you don't have that connection with Hermione fits into you not remembering it. Did that make sense at all?'

'No!' Ron said as Harry said 'Yes!'

'Luckily for you I'm used to your ramblings, so I managed to put it into some sort of logical order!' Ron said with a smirk.

'But that still doesn't explain why he dreamt it, or why he remembers nothing but a complex Latin sentence!'

'Well I'm glad you two were here to help me, I don't know what I would have done if after all that I still didn't understand it or know what to do from here!'

Harry laughed and Ginny gave a reluctant chuckle.

'Sorry, that really didn't help you, did it?' said Ginny.

'Hang on!' Harry exclaimed, making both Ron and Ginny jump a little. 'There is one person who might be able to shed some light on this whole thing.'

'Who?' Both Ginny and Ron asked.

'Madam Pomfrey. She took so many notes on your condition, partly because she'd never seen anything like it before, but mainly because she was, of course, concerned for your welfare!'

'Yeah, but I can't bother her with this now, won't she have enough to deal with after yesterday.'

'I doubt whether there are many people in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, most people were apparated to St. Mungo's as and when they were injured. I suppose the only people who might be in there are the staff who were fighting. They live in the castle after all.'

'Yeah but still…'

'You do want Hermione to wake up, don't you?' Ginny asked.

Ron's eyes widened and his ears went pink.

'Sorry,' Ginny mumbled before Ron retaliated. 'I didn't…I didn't think before I spoke. Of course you do.'

Ron took a deep breath. 'I just don't want to get my hopes up finding a solution after the tail end of a dream and a place that I have no idea actually exists, that doesn't even exist! It's just some weird place in my subconscious!'

'It is pretty weird, I suppose,' Ginny said, trying to make amends with her brother. 'But, no one would think it strange if you talked to her. It's something, isn't it? You won't be happy until you've made sure.'

Ron nodded. 'I suppose. Do you reckon it'd be okay if I went this afternoon?'

'I don't see why not, do you want me to come with you?' Harry asked.

'Do you want to risk being mobbed by half the Wizarding world?' Ron replied.

'I still have my invisibility cloak, if we apparate, then fly up to the gates we should be okay.'

'Well, only if you're sure. Gin, would you mind staying with Hermione while we're gone?'

'Are you ever going to take me with you _anywhere_?'

Both Ron and Harry went to argue but she shushed them with a laugh. 'I'm joking, you go and investigate and I'll go to the hospital and be the first to tell you if anything changes.'

Ron smiled. 'Thanks Gin.'

'Just don't fall asleep on your brooms, St Mungo's have enough to deal with and don't need you two falling a hundred feet from a broom!'

'Ah, I've done that before, it's not so bad.'

'Yes, but how embarrassing would it be if you survive a face off with the most evil wizard of all time, to end up in hospital because you fell off your broom!'

Ron turned and looked at Harry.

'She has a point!'


	5. 05 Asking for Help

**Never before has one of my lines sparked a discussion that crossed nations!**

**Sorry this has taken me longer than normal, blame work!**

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Chapter 5 – Asking for Help 

'Harry! Ron!'

Ron wasn't sure which was more concerning, the fact that Minerva McGonagall had just grabbed them both around the neck and pulled them into a hug, or the fact that she had used their first names to address them.

In all fairness the both of them had, in the last twenty hours or so been pulled into many bone crushing hugs so they were somewhat used to the behaviour. But being called 'Ron' by his former teacher was curious to say the least and he'd feel a lot more settled when she started calling him 'Weasley'.

'How are you both?' McGonagall said after she had released the pair of them. 'I heard what happened of course, I'm just sorry I couldn't be involved directly, but I have a duty to this castle and all that stay here, so—'

'I understand Professor, your help along the way was invaluable to us. Hermione—'

Harry stopped talking and gave Ron a nervous look before looking at the ground. Ron decided to finish Harry's sentence for him.

'Hermione, always knew she could come to you for help or advice when we needed it and knew you wouldn't go on at her, asking about what we were doing. If she were here she'd thank you, Professor.'

McGonagall blinked rapidly, but after a few seconds stopped trying to hold back her tears. She pulled Ron into another hug and then let him go once more.

'How is Hermione?' she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Ron took a deep breath and tried to remember all the details of Hermione's condition and the reason why she was still unconscious.

'She was hit with Sectumsempra so lost a lot of blood, and something got in the wound, either an infection or the Death Eaters have found something to add to their curses, whichever, her blood got infected. The Healers cleaned it but they think it's done some damage, she hasn't woken up yet. Actually, that's why we're here, I need to ask Madam Pomfrey something, unless she's busy.'

'Do you think Poppy will be able to help?' McGonagall asked.

'Well, there's something I need to ask her about, it's a bit weird, but…well, I need to ask her about sixth year. It might not be anything, but, I just need to be sure.'

'Sixth year?' McGonagall asked.

'Yeah, you know that connection…thing we had, 'cause of bright spark here's dodgy potion?'

McGonagall gave a small smile. 'Ah yes, I remember it quite well, you had us puzzled for a long time and rather concerned towards the end. But, why is that relevant, Weasley? Actually, you can answer me on the way to the hospital wing.'

Ron relaxed slightly at the return of his surname and walked beside McGonagall as they made their way through the corridors of the hospital.

'Well, you see, it might not be relevant at all. I had this…dream…thing, and Harry and Ginny think it was similar to the dreams Hermione and I had when we had our connection. Not that I have a clue about it, but anything's worth looking at.'

'Of course it is!' McGonagall said firmly as they rounded the final corner to the hospital wing.

She slowed down and Harry and Ron looked over their shoulder when their ex-teacher stopped walking. Before they had the chance to ask her anything she spoke.

'I would just like to thank the two of you for what you've done. As soon as Miss. Granger wakes up I shall thank her personally. You've done Hogwarts, Gryffindor, and more importantly you and your families proud. Looking at the state of you,' her eyes scanned over their thin forms and the dark circles under their eyes, 'you've been through more than most will ever have to, and you did it without complaint and with unwavering courage. I have never been prouder of three Gryffindors. You are welcome back at this school at any time, for any reason.'

Her voice stayed strong but her eyes were filling with tears. She cleared her throat. 'Thank you, Ron, thank you, Harry.'

Harry and Ron could only nod, lumps having formed in their throats.

'Now, go and see Poppy and find a way to wake Miss Granger up,' she added in her usual tone.

Ron turned and walked towards the double doors.

'Professor, wait a minute,' Harry said.

Ron turned to see McGonagall stop and wait for Harry and Harry look at him with an uncertain look.

'Do you mind if I talk to Professor McGonagall for a bit, I need to know…the teachers…the students who were still here…I just…'

'Harry, it's fine, really, go and do what you have to.'

'You sure?'

'I'm sure, I'll probably still be here when you're done.'

Harry nodded and Ron watched as he turned and walked with Professor McGonagall down the corridor and out of sight.

He walked up to the doors and knocked quietly before slowly pushing them open. He walked inside the wing and turned towards the office door. The door opened as he was about to knock and Madam Pomfrey stared at him for a second before jumping into action.

'Oh! Ronald! How are you? Are you hurt? Do you need help? Have you not been looked at already at St. Mungo's? Here, turn around!'

Ron didn't have chance to answer any of the questions or protest as she forcibly turned him round, waving her wand all over him and sending diagnostic spells around him.

'Well, there's nothing showing up, are you sure you're okay? You look tired and drawn. Have you been eating properly? How about Harry and Hermione? Are they here with you?'

She finally stopped with her questions and Ron made sure she wasn't going to start with another load before breathing in to reply.

'I'm fine, really I'm fine. Tired if anything but that's not why I'm here. I need your help with something. Hermione's in St. Mungo's, she's…she's unconscious and I need to ask you about something to see if it can help her.'

Madam Pomfrey paled slightly

'Unconscious?' she asked, professionally interested but her concern for her former charge obvious.

Ron nodded. The nurse seemed to come back to herself and cleared her throat. 'How can I help you, Ronald?'

---

'Well of course it was strange, very strange in fact. I have never seen anything like it in my entire professional career. Professor Slughorn had heard of it once before, but I'm afraid he was no help when it came to doing anything about it. He initially thought the connection would last two to three weeks, but as we both know, yours lasted a month.'

She opened the rather fat file of notes and moved them so they were in front of both her and Ron on her desk.

Ron looked at the top of the file and saw 'Granger-Weasley' written in a neat script. He smiled and he remembered something from a couple of months back…

---

'_I can't believe you just married me off the instant this whole thing is over! At least give me a day to return to normal!'_

_Ron was stood at the opening to their magical tent and was listening to Harry and Hermione's conversation just inside the door._

'_Do you not want to marry him?' Harry asked._

'_I…he…well…' she sighed, 'it's not as simple as that, Harry. We shouldn't even be thinking too far into the future, we should be concentrating on what we have to do tomorrow and that alone.'_

'_Hey! Don't you be stealing my job as the pessimistic one! It's only me who's allowed to say things about not planning for the future! You're the one who reminds me that there is life after shit!'_

_Ron could hear Hermione's loud sigh._

'_I'll think you'll find I've never said anything remotely similar to that, Harry.'_

'_Well, no, but you're still avoiding the question. Do you want to marry my tall, lanky, freckled, red headed best friend and, if and when it happens, become Hermione Granger-Weasley?'_

'_Granger-Weasley? Why do you say _Granger_-Weasley?'_

'_I dunno, I just presumed you'd want to keep your name, not totally dismissing Ron's, kind of a 'we're equals' type thing.'_

'_For your information, Harry James Potter, when I marry Ron I will take his name fully, no Granger-Weasley, just Weasley.'_

_Harry grinned and shook with silent laughter._

'_What now?' Hermione asked, confused._

'_You said 'when I marry Ron'!'_

_Hermione reddened slightly. 'I was just copying your phrasing, seeing as though you were being so persistent with the question!'_

'_Ah but you see, Hermione, I said, 'if and when' whereas you just came right out and said 'when', so you can sod off with your issue with me marrying the two of you off as soon as we're done with our saving the Wizarding world crap, and just accept that is what is going to happen!'_

_Ron peeked around the opening to the tent. Hermione was, for once, lost for words and didn't like it one bit, so she just grumbled in frustration and threw Harry's newly washed pile of clothes at him._

_Harry laughed out loud, knowing he had won._

_Ron straightened himself up with a smile on his face and entered the tent._

'_Alright, mate? How was the brook?' Harry asked Ron._

'_Bloody freezing!'_

'_Good, good.' Harry looked up at Ron. 'Why are you grinning like that?'_

'_Oh, no reason!'_

_He turned to Hermione and gathered her in his arms. Before she had time to protest at being stopped folding her clothes, he kissed her. He tried to tell her in that kiss that he was feeling ridiculously giddy about what he had just heard, because he knew he couldn't bring up the subject, so the kiss lingered for longer than Hermione would usually permit in front of Harry, but for once she didn't seem to mind._

_He let go of Hermione and was pleased to see she was suitably flushed from the experience and left her to her folding. He turned towards Harry and gave him a swift wink, telling him he had heard most of their conversation._

_Harry looked panicked for a second but then mouthed, 'you okay?' at Ron. Ron smiled and nodded briefly. They moved through the small sitting area of the tent into one of the bedrooms._

'_I think I may have found something more scary than a final face off with Voldemort,' Harry said with a smirk._

'_Oh yeah, and what's that then?'_

'_You being totally fine with commitment.'_

_---_

The words burned into his retinas and he had to look away and shake his head so he could concentrate on what Madam Pomfrey was saying.

'In hindsight I'm not surprised at all that your connection lasted longer than the Professor Slughorn first indicated. I always thought that on one level your subconscious minds were happy enough with the connection between you and didn't want to let go.'

Ron blushed a little, but smiled.

'So, Ron, what did you want to know?'

Ron cleared his throat. 'Well, this may seem a little strange but, I had a dream, but I don't remember it except for one detail, right at the end. I was shown a Latin phrase which, when I got it translated means 'Remember us together, remember our past.' And when I spoke to Harry and Ginny about it, they said it was the same…_place_ that me and Hermione went to when we shared our dreams.'

He cautiously looked at the nurse, waiting for her observations and hoping that she would take him seriously.

'You said you didn't remember anything of the dream, so how do Harry and Ginny know that it was the same place?'

'Oh! Right, well Harry did this thing where he made me think of nothing and just answer his questions without really thinking about them, apparently a few details seeped into my brains somewhere and I remembered that the sky was blue, the grass was green and there was a warm, comforting breeze that calmed me down. Apparently that was what me and Hermione had told Harry and Ginny when we were connected.'

'I see… So are you saying that you visited the same subconscious place that you shared with Hermione whilst you were connected and came out of that place with a message?'

Ron nodded. 'Yes, that's exactly it. I'm guessing that the 'us' in the phrase is me and Hermione, because that's the first 'us' that comes to mind,' he didn't see the smallest of smiles creep upon Madam Pomfrey's face, 'so the only thing that I can think of that it might mean is to remember the one part of 'our' past that I have no recollection of at all. Which is actually pretty obvious really if I am right about the 'us'.'

'I think you're right about the 'us', Ron. Too many other factors fit for it to be you and someone else. So the question now, is, what next?'

'Exactly. And I have no idea!'

'I bet it doesn't help that all you want to do is collapse in a heap and sleep, not to mention come to terms with everything that happened last night, or all that I imagine you've had to do since you left school over a year ago. The last thing you should have to do is work out a cryptic clue from your subconscious – and I don't think you're mad, or crazy for thinking it's a clue to wake Hermione up. You are no longer under my care, Ronald, but if you were I would demand you got some rest and would probably suggest talking through things you went through. However, something tells me that is in no way going to happen.'

She looked at him, a stern expression on her face.

'But please, Ronald, as well as trying to look after Hermione, please look after yourself. I have a feeling she will have several words to say to you when she wakes and finds you dead on your feet.'

Ron smiled and nodded. 'I'll try, but I'll not promise anything. Do you have a copy of your notes I could take away and read through?'

'Of course, let me just get my second copy.'

She stood and went into a cupboard off her office. Ron stood and tucked the second chair under the desk. He yawned and just as he was finishing, remembered to put his hand over his mouth.

He smiled when he remembered something Hermione had done the night before.

_---_

_The three of them were sat huddled, waiting for the exact second to leave the safety and security of their hideout._

'_I'm bored,' Ron whispered._

_Hermione rolled her eyes at him. Harry chuckled quietly._

'_Well, I'm sorry facing off with Voldemort is turning out so dull for you, Ron, I'll try to do better next time!'_

'_Ha! If you think I'm doing this again you've got another thing coming, Potter!'_

'_Think!' Hermione hissed._

_Ron grinned but Harry rolled his eyes at his two friends. The disagreement between the two was a year old and didn't look like being resolved soon. _

'_You know if you just researched the bloody saying you'd find the answer you know!' Harry whispered._

'_But where's the fun in that, Harry?' Hermione asked with a grin._

_Harry rolled his eyes yet again._

_After a few more minutes of just sitting and waiting, Ron yawned._

_Hermione tutted and brought his hand to his mouth._

'_Seriously, after seven years of knowing me, have I taught you nothing?'_

_Ron let his hand drop and his smirk was on show for all to see._

'_Of course you have! I now no longer—'_

_They had all heard the quietest rustle of robes and knew it was time._

_Harry sighed. 'Now or never.'_

'_I vote for now,' Ron said, looking Harry directly in the eye._

'_Me too,' Hermione added._

'_Now it is then,' Harry replied, standing up and holding his head high._

_He nodded once and Ron and Hermione followed him out into the clearing before them._

_Ron caught Hermione's eye. 'I love you,' he said, but he found no sound had come out._

'_Love you too,' Hermione replied, just as silently. 'Stay safe.'_

_Ron quickly pulled her towards him and placed a kiss on the top of her head._

I'll protect you,_ he thought to himself._

_He let go of Hermione and they followed Harry. Into what, they weren't exactly sure._

_---_

When he came out of his thoughts he was startled to feel tears on his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, but the nurse, returning from her cupboard had already spotted them.

She handed Ron the rather large file stuffed full of parchment and he tried to smile in thanks.

'Don't worry, Ron, you'll find her.'

Ron swallowed and nodded.

'Thanks, for this.'

'Make sure you come straight back if you want to ask me anything, anything at all!'

'I will. I promise, and thanks again.'


	6. 06 From and Unlikely Source

**Well, I got back into it, eventually. Feedback on the interaction between the two brthers would be greatly received.**

**Ta ;)**

* * *

Chapter 6

His head was crammed and he was having trouble organising his thoughts. He had read and reread the notes Madam Pomfrey had given him – Hermione would have been proud of his studious nature over the past few hours – and was now trying to come up with some sort of theory as to what to do.

Unfortunately this was where he was coming up short. He had had fleeting ideas that sped through his mind, and his heart had leapt when they had, but then he thought about them for a minute and thought of all the ways that they wouldn't work and this heart sank once more.

'God, Hermione, I need you to help me here! You're the intelligent one!'

'Will I do?'

Ron spun around, fumbling for his wand as he did so, but he stopped when he recognised the thin face and horn-rimmed glasses of third oldest brother.

'I…I dunno!'

'Oh, thanks!' Percy replied with a grin.

Ron managed a smirk. 'You're welcome.'

'Seriously, Ron, can I be of help?'

'Er…I dunno.'

Percy snorted.

'Oh sod off!' Ron retorted. 'I'm trying to work out a way to wake Hermione up, but it's all based on a theory and an unconscious state of mind so it's not exactly fact we're working with.'

Percy shook his head, as if trying to organise what Ron has said into some kind of order.

'Wait, you think you have a way to wake up Hermione?'

Ron nodded.

'But why do you think she won't just wake up of her own accord.'

'I…I'm not sure! She might do! God, I hope she does, I just…I had this dream and I think it's a sign…message of some kind…'

He trailed off and looked warily at his brother, waiting for the scoff or the tentative line that stated he was exhausted.

He looked at Percy. His brow was furrowed in concentration but then a puzzled look crossed his face.

'You had…a dream?'

Ron sighed. 'It's fine. You don't believe me, I understand.'

'Hey! I haven't said I don't believe you I'm just trying to work things out. You said you had a dream and in that dream you were, what? Told something? Thought of something?'

'I was shown some Latin; it was engraved on a stone. I woke up and new I had to remember it and I managed to write it down. Hermione's dad translated it for me.'

'What does it say?'

'_Remember us together, remember our past_.'

Percy looked like he was trying to place the phrase somewhere. After a minute he spoke again.

'I don't think I've heard of it as a phrase before, do you have any idea what it means?'

'Kind of…it's weird…then again this whole thing is weird.'

'And you're sure it's a sign?'

Ron sighed. 'No,' he replied quietly. 'This whole thing could just be me desperately trying to find some small ray of hope to cling to and might just be my brain being weird 'cause of all the stress that we've been through. I just…'

He didn't know how to finish his sentence.

Percy walked over to Ron and put his hand on his shoulder.

'Ron, I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through over the past…however long it's been. And then tonight… But I don't think it's your brain being weird. Yes you're probably tired and in need of a proper night's sleep, but, forgive me for this, I don't think your dreams are usually filled with Latin phrases, are they?'

Ron shook his head. 'You er…you believe me then?'

'I think it's as good a lead as any to follow. With all the unknown magic that was on display tonight, who am I to say that dreams aren't a way to working out problems?'

'You don't have to suck up to me Percy, I've already accepted your apology!' Ron said with a grin.

Percy chuckled. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to sound sycophantic. So, do you have any idea what it means?'

'Well I have a theory.'

Ron explained to Percy what had happened to him and Hermione in their sixth year. Percy was suitably shocked at what had happened and then the fact that Ron couldn't remember a second of it.

'I mean that's just…and you can't…_nothing_?'

Ron closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

'Was that a sentence or am I just not hearing random words?'

Percy shook his head. 'Sorry, it was incoherent babbling. It's all just so…_strange_? So you think that what you were told in your dream is telling you to remember what you can't?'

Ron shrugged. 'Maybe.'

'Let's assume it is. What's all this?'

Percy waved his hand over the kitchen table.

'Oh! They're Madam Pomfrey's notes on everything that happened when me and Hermione were connected.'

'Have you found anything that's helped at all?'

'Not really, but I can't say everything's gone in. My head's mashed.'

'Do you want me to look at it?' Percy asked picking up one of the sheets of paper and glancing at the handwriting on it.

'Well, yeah, Hermione always said…' he sighed and then took a deep breath. 'Hermione always said someone else looking at something can find things…sorry, that didn't make sense, Hermione also said it much better. Always made me laugh actually. Something about a 'fresh pair of eyes', I always got the image of a drawer full of spare, fresh eyes.'

Percy smirked as he sat down opposite Ron.

'It does bring up a plethora or mental images, doesn't it? Look, Ron, why don't you have a doze or something while I read these, I'll try not to be too long.'

Ron nodded. He crossed his arms and put them on the table, at the same time pushing his chair further away from the table so he could comfortably rest his head on his arms.

'Okay, I meant in your room.'

Ron shook his head. 'Tried. Have weird non-Latiny dreams. Wake me when you're done.'

Percy nodded and started to read.

---

He jerked awake and frantically began fumbling for his wand before his eyes had fully opened.

'You're at home in the kitchen and I'm the only one here with you.'

Ron stopped fumbling for his wand and slumped back down on the table.

'Why did I wake up?'

'That may have been me. I exclaimed somewhat at how you nearly died.'

'There's no need to exaggerate!'

'_No need to_- I quote: '_their hearts are beating at an alarmingly low rate, I am extremely concerned for them and for their condition IF and when they wake up.''_

'Well, if you're gonna quote stuff…'

Percy snorted.

'So have you found anything?'

'Well, I don't really know where to start! You fell unconscious when the other did, you shared dreams, you shared emotions, you helped each other _heal_, and when you did finally wake up from your near death experience you were in your own shared world for a few minutes before the connection broke in such a way that sent you into unconsciousness yet again!'

'Pretty weird, eh?'

'_Weird?_ Ron, it's…astounding!'

'Thanks! But did you find any hidden things in there that might explain my apparent insanity which involves me dreaming words I don't understand?'

'Let me think for a minute.'

Ron fell silent as he watched Percy move a few of the papers around, obviously looking for something he had already read. He read a couple more sheets of notes before looking back at Ron.

'What do you remember about your dream?'

Ron explained to Percy he didn't remember anything else until Harry and played his little mind trick on him.

'Harry and Ginny think I was in the same place that me and Hermione went to when we shared our dreams.'

'What do you think?'

'I think they may have a point, but…'

'You're trying not to get your hopes up.'

Ron nodded.

'Where were you when you had the dream.'

'At the hospital.'

'In Hermione's room?'

'Yeah.'

'Were you in direct contact with Hermione?'

'You don't have to make it sound so clinical! I was holding her hand when I fell asleep.'

'And you say you haven't dreamed anything Latin since then.'

'No.'

'Well, why don't you try falling asleep again like you did when you had the dream? It's obvious Harry's potion was the cause of it all, but I think the fact that you and Hermione were holding hands when it happened may have added something extra to it. Well, apart from the fact that you obviously had feeling for each other, but I think the actual physical contact made a difference.'

'Ron had reddened at the mention that he had denied his feelings for Hermione through his sixth year but he concentrated on what Percy had deduced from his notes.

'So you think I should go to the hospital and fall asleep holding Hermione's hand?'

'It's worth a try isn't it. Replicating as many variables as you can might help you confirm or deny a theory.'

'You know, you could have told me this before I went to sleep!'

Percy rolled his eyes at him. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I'll just perform Legilimancy on you next time shall I, to speed things up?'

Percy laughed at his own joke but Ron just looked puzzled. Percy's face fell.

'Okay, I'll leave the jokes alone.'

'What? Oh no, sorry, that wasn't bad for you, I was just thinking. Can you do Legilimancy?'

Percy fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat and then thought for a minute before answering. 'It's a strange art. Simply performing it isn't enough sometimes. It needs mastering for it to be useful. I have not mastered it.'

Ron nodded.

'Right, well, I need to get to the hospital then, don't I. I just hope I can sleep when I'm there. Hey do you think-? Oh, no it won't.'

'Do I think what that won't work?'

'I was gonna ask if the Dreamless Sleep potion would work, but obviously, Dreamless Sleep isn't the thing we're going for. Hey! You can _Obdormio_ me!'

'No, Ron, I'm not going to hex you into sleep.'

'Why not? It's not like you're doing it out of malice. I'm asking you to do it!'

'I know but…I just don't like doing it. You've heard how small, apparently insignificant hexes like that can be abused. I just don't like it.'

'Perce, _please._ I _need_ to do this and I need _you_ to do this favour for me. I won't tell anyone, I promise you.'

'I'll still know!'

'Percy, I really don't want to say this, but…you owe me.'

Percy smiled, but there was a trace of bitterness in the gesture.

'Emotional blackmail is a little harsh, Ron.' He said quietly. 'I thought you'd forgiven me for my stupidity.'

'I have to an extent, but there's still ground to cover with the rest of the family. I'm grateful you went through all this stuff with me, and I understand you reluctance, but…_I need her with me_, and I'll do anything to get her back here.'

Percy looked at the floor.

'Please, Perce.'

Percy nodded. 'I'll do it.'

…oooOOOooo…

'I've locked the door, so hopefully you shouldn't be disturbed. I'll try my best to keep people out, Charles said he'd try and distract people until you were awake. I can't quite believe how enthusiastic he was about the whole thing. No, wait, of course I can. Any possibility of waking her up, I suppose.'

Ron was sat on the uncomfortable chair as he had been in the kitchen half an hour earlier. He was holding Hermione's hand tightly in his own and brought it to his lips to kiss it gently.

Percy walked up the other side of Hermione's bed and stood opposite Ron. He drew his wand.

'Ready?' he asked, slightly shakily.

Ron nodded.

'Thanks again for this, Perce.'

Percy nodded, unable to reply.

Ron put his head on his arms and shut his eyes.

Percy raised his wand and pointed it at the top of Ron's head.

'_Obdormio_.'


	7. 07 Disturbing Progress

**::shivers::coughs::  
****Sorry for the wait on this one people, I've been in Spain and now I'm ill so this took longer than I planned. Hopefully you'll like it.  
If you could let me know what you think it would be much appreciated.  
::coughs::shivers::**

**Step ;)**

* * *

Chapter 7

Like they had many times before, the images assaulted his mind one by one: him and Hermione standing on either side of a tree tracing letters in the bark, him and Hermione watching the sunrise together, him and Hermione kissing. He remembered it all, their time together and the dreams they had shared. But one question still remained: Where the hell was Hermione?

'Okay, I'm here, now what do I do?' he asked his surroundings.

He turned around half hoping the answer would be engraved in a rock or something similar.

'The rock!' he exclaimed.

He spun around trying to find the lump of grey stone he had found his last message on. He saw the tree, which he knew had roughly carved hearts and letters on both sides. He grunted in frustration.

'Just show me where the damn rock is!' he shouted at the sky.

He turned round and the grey stone was behind him. He knelt down in front of it. The Latin phrase appeared in the surface and a second later had turned to English.

'And you couldn't do that last time?' Ron exclaimed.

He wasn't sure why he was angry but he felt so frustrated with the whole thing. He needed to help Hermione and he knew that the second he woke up he wouldn't remember any of what he had remembered, or at least very little.

'How do I help her? Please, tell me, how do I help her?'

The markings in the rock disappeared and no new ones took their place. Ron sighed and stood up. He walked over to the only other landmark around him and looked at the initials at the bottom of the tree.

'Hermione, if you can hear me, I'm trying to help you, I really am but I just don't know what to do! Cryptic Latin phrases aren't much help I'm afraid. Codes don't help me when I'm here. You work stuff out like that, not me!'

He reached out his fingers and traced the heart around his and Hermione's initials.

'I love you, Hermione.'

The pain crashed into his temples and he couldn't move his fingertips from the markings. He held his head in his other hand while still desperately trying to pull his hand from the tree. He started to shake, he could feel his energy leave him. He forced his eyes open and saw the marking he was touching had turned red. His hand was burning, his energy was leaving him and blackness was invading his peripheral vision. He closed his eyes and that's when he saw her.

She was smiling at him and then she stepped closer to him.

'Thank you,' he heard before the blackness overtook him completely.

…oooOOOooo…

'RON!'

His eyes snapped open and he closed them instantly. He brought his hands to his temples and pressed, hoping for some kind of release from the pain.

'Ron? Are you okay?'

He opened his eyes once more and instantly became confused. The ceiling was above him and Charles was looking down over him.

'What-?' Ron asked as the pain in his head subsided to a dull ache. He sat up and swayed a little

'Careful Ron,' Charles said.

Ron felt a hand grip the top of his arm and steady him.

'Charles, why am I on the floor?'

'In all honesty, Ron, I have no idea. But I'd feel better if you were sat in the chair you were supposed to stay in.'

'What? Oh, right.'

Charles held out his hand and Ron took it. He landed heavily in the chair and leaned forwards, trying to stop his head from spinning.

'So, are you okay, Ron? You gave your brother quite a fright, he's gone to find a Healer?'

'He what? Oh, Merlin! There's no need, I'm fine!'

'You don't look it, Ron. You're clammy and shaking.

'It'll pass. Look, Charles, I remember a bit of what happened…in my head, I think, but the more I think about it the vaguer the details become. I need to tell someone before I forget, okay?'

Charles nodded, but he didn't look happy with his agreement.

'Right, I was back _there_ I think. No, I was, definitely. There was grass and there was this tree. I went up to it and there was this heart carved in the wood, it had mine and Hermione's initials in it. I reached out and touched it.' He winced involuntarily. 'That's when my head hurt like hell and I started to feel…weird…like I was losing all my energy to the tree or something…'

Ron closed his eyes.

'Is that all?' Charles asked.

'No…there's something else…I just…can't-. Give me a minute.'

He closed his eyes tightly and concentrated on the last thing he remembered. He saw Hermione in front of him.

'I closed my eyes because I was about to black out and then I saw her. She said…thank you.'

The door burst open and Percy and a rather worried looking Junior Healer entered.

'Perce, I'm fine, there's no need to fuss.'

'No need to fuss!' exclaimed a very red faced Percy.

Ron watched him shake his head in disbelief and turn to the Healer with him.

'Ignore him please, he had some sort of seizure and then collapsed onto the floor. I think he hit his head hard when he landed. I tried to get him on to the floor. I tried to get him on to the floor in a slightly safer manner, but his hand seemed to have gone into spasm because I couldn't get him to let go of Hermione. You must have been squeezing quite hard, Ron, she reacted to the pain.'

Ron jumped up from his seat and moved towards Hermione.

'She reacted?'

He turned towards the Healer who still insisted on performing his diagnostic spells, even though his patient was moving around.

'What are you faffing on with me for? You should be checking Hermione!' His eyes landed on the Junior Healer's name badge. 'Are you even qualified?'

'Ron, there's no need to be rude,' Percy said firmly.

Ron sighed.

'Fine, I'm sorry, but will someone go and find Healer Watson, he's Hermione's healer after all!'

'I know where he was five minutes ago,' the Junior Healer said, obviously petrified. 'I'll go and get him.

He left the room. Instantly Ron turned and stared at Percy.

'Perce, tell me exactly what happened.'

'I told you everything, Ron. You had some sort of fit or seizure. You were about to fall off the chair so I tried to get you onto the floor safely but I couldn't get you to let go of Hermione's hand.

'Is that when she reacted? How did she react? Did she open her eyes?'

'Ron, I won't tell you anything if you don't calm down.'

'Don't fuck about, Percy! _Tell me what the hell she did!_'

Percy bit back any retort he had come up with and looked at the floor.

'Fine,' he snapped, 'it was like something…like something had shocked her or taken her by surprise. She took a really deep breath…like she'd been underwater and had come to the surface after being under for too long. Yes, like that.'

'Did she open her eyes?' Charles asked.

Ron had forgotten he was in the room, his whole attention being fixed on Hermione and Percy.

Percy shook his head.

'No, not that I saw anyway. She just kept taking these really slow breaths. Then you fell on the floor, let go of her hand and she stopped.

'And that's it!' Ron demanded.

'Ron, I promise you, that's it!'

Ron nodded.

Percy stepped forwards and went to put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

'Ron, I think you should let someone look at you properly. When Healer Watson comes in, let him check you over.

'He checks Hermione first.'

'Ron, Hermione's fine.'

'_Fine!_ FINE! I'm stood here right as rain, Hermione's in a sodding coma and you think _she's_ fine and want _me_ to be checked over first. Seriously, have you been confounded or something?'

Percy was about to argue back when Charles stepped into Ron's eye line.

'Ron, I could really do with a coffee and I think you and Percy could do with one too. Will you come with me?'

'I'm okay thanks Charles,' Ron replied, trying to keep the irritation out of his tone.

'Please, Ron.'

Something in Charles' voice made Ron look at him. There was determination in his eyes and Ron knew he should go with the older man.

He nodded and turned to Percy.

'If her eyelashes move because of a draft I want to know, okay?'

After a second Percy nodded.

Ron walked to Hermione's bed and took her hand in his. He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.

'I'm sorry I hurt you,' he whispered.

He forced his eyes shut, stopping the tears that had just formed from escaping. He stood and without looking at either Percy or Charles left the room.

…oooOOOooo…

'Your brother's only looking out for you, Ron.'

Ron stared into his coffee mug. He had protested when Charles had asked him to sit in the canteen for five minutes, wanting to go back to Hermione's room to see what Healer Watson had to say.

'He feels like he has to make things right with you and this is his way of doing it.'

'I've already forgiven him for his stupidity, he doesn't need to fuss over me constantly.'

'It's what older brothers do, I'm afraid, I think I'm right in saying if it were Ginny in your position you'd behave in the same way as Percy did.'

Ron sighed and nodded his head an inch.

'Still annoying though,' he mumbled.

Charles laughed but then his face became serious again.

'I've been trying to put things together in my head, Ron, and I think I may have put something feasible together.'

'Yeah?'

Charles cleared his throat.

'When you woke up you said you felt like you were losing energy to the engraving on the bark.'

'Yeah, that's what it was like, I tried to pull my hand away but couldn't.'

'And on this side of things, Percy couldn't get you to let go of Hermione. She reacted when you were losing your energy and you couldn't pull away from her.'

Ron blinked. It made perfect sense to him.

'Of course! I was giving my energy to her and she reacted to it. Percy said it was like she was breathing after being under water like when you need to take in oxygen quickly. Maybe she was taking something she needed from me? But then…Charles, we need to go and see if she's changed at all. This might be the way we wake her up!'

He stood up expecting Charles to do the same.

'Er…are you coming?' Ron asked.

'Ron, sit down.'

'But-'

'Please.'

Ron sat down, searching for some sort of explanation for his lack of action.

'Okay, firstly, please don't build your hopes up on this, Ron. It's a half arsed theory at best, nothing more.'

Ron nodded in agreement.

'Secondly, even if our half arsed theory is something of a goer, we have to consider how this will affect you.'

Ron's brow furrowed in confusion.

'How do you mean?'

'Ron, when I finally woke you up you were in obvious pain and as Percy told you, you had some sort of seizure. I'm pretty sure you're dismissing what I'm saying and trying to work out a way of testing our ridiculous theory…'

Ron had the decency to blush at Charles' comment.

'but Hermione would hate the idea of you putting your life in danger for any reason.'

'It won't come to that Charles. I'm fine!'

'_That_ has yet to be determined and if all Hermione does is take a few deep breaths while you're collapsing on the floor, I don't think we're going to achieve a great deal, do you?'

'No, I suppose not but if there's a chance that doing this will help her then I'll do it.'

'Believe me, Ron, I understand your determination and need to do something. But don't put Hermione through waking up to a life without you because of her.'

Ron looked at Charles and understood what he was saying, but he couldn't live with the idea of not helping Hermione when he was the only one who could.

'Okay.'

'Good. Now let's go and see what Healer Watson has to say.'

Ron picked up his coffee and followed Charles out of the canteen. He walked down the stairs without looking where he was going or taking in his surroundings at all. He was thinking about what Charles has said and was doing exactly what he had been asked not to.

He just had this feeling that they were on track, no matter how half arsed an idea theirs was. He really thought it was going to work. He also dismissed the last thing Charles had said. He would bring Hermione back even if it was the last thing he ever did.


	8. 08 Analytical Chemistry

**Oh my life! How long did this take? Very sorry for those of you who were waiting very patiently for it, but it's here now.  
Things move on a bit in this one, with a bit of angst thrown in for good measure!  
Please let me know what you think. :D**

**Step ;)**

* * *

Chapter 8

'Let me get this straight, she's improved?'

Ron tried to ignore the squirming in his stomach, he couldn't get his hopes up, he just couldn't.

'Ron, think of it like this,' Healer Watson covered his eyes with his hand and rubbed his temples. 'Imagine she's been…say…a hundred feet under water, well now, after whatever happened between you and her, she's about ninety feet under. That isn't a big difference Ron, the diagnosis spell barely distinguished a change, but there has been some sort of increase in her brain activity. Not a lot, but a small increase.'

'Small, but it's something, isn't it?'

'It's…it's a start.'

'So how do we keep it going? I'll do it again, I'll give her whatever she needed to take from me. Just tell me how and when!'

'Ron, stop this now. We don't know what happened when you fell unconscious and what you…_gave_ Hermione, if that's what even happened. I'm going to have to do some tests to see if I can determine anything, and I'm going to have to talk to the Hogwarts Nurse. By all accounts she's probably in the best position to tell me about this connection you had.'

Ron nodded. 'She said she was happy to help in any way. I can give you the copy of the notes she gave me if you want to read them.'

Healer Watson nodded. 'I think I'm going to need every bit of information there is. Oh, do you mind if I take a sample of your blood, Ron? I want to compare it with Hermione's and see if there's anything different than normal.'

'Of course.'

He automatically shook the cuff of his cloak off his hand and held it out, palm down, to the Healer.

Healer Watson smiled.

'Sorry, Ron, I want to do this the muggle way. I don't want any type of magic interfering with yours or Hermione's blood. I have a friend who does a lot of muggle analytical chemistry on blood and I want him to see it untouched by magic.'

Ron frowned, not exactly sure if he understood the method behind the apparent madness of Hermione's Healer, but he trusted the man who was looking after his girlfriend and would do whatever he asked.

'Er…okay. How…?'

The smallest of smiles crossed the Healer's face. 'Don't worry, Ron, I'll explain as we do it. But I have to go and see another patient first. Will you be here for the next half hour or so?'

'I'm not going anywhere, as long as your staff don't kick me out for taking the piss out of the visiting hours!'

Healer Watson laughed out loud and Ron managed to raise a smile.

The Healer left the room and Ron sat down on the chair next to Hermione's bed. He looked up and saw Charles sat next to the door.

'Are you, okay, Charles?' Ron asked.

'What? Oh, yes, Ron. Thanks for asking.'

'I'd believe you, but…apparently you do the same thing Hermione does when she's lying.'

Charles looked up at Ron, a confused but slightly amused expression on his face.

'What's that then?'

'You chew on the back of your ring finger, on your left hand. Although, that's quite impressive seeing as though you wear a wedding ring!'

Ron was relieved when Charles smiled.

'Does Hermione really do the same thing?'

Ron nodded.

'Does she know you know what she does?'

'Er, not yet, no. I think it annoys her when I plainly know she's lying to me, not that she does it often; normally she just bends the truth a bit to save people's feelings. Whatever the reason, she always feels a bit guilty about it.'

Charles nodded.

'So…is it something other than…' he waved is arm at his surroundings, 'all this that's bothering you?' Ron asked Charles.

Charles smiled.

'No, just all this,' he made the same movement with his arm that Ron had.

They sat in silence, waiting for something, nothing, anything.

After a few minutes, Veronica walked into the room. Ron turned round to look at Hermione while Charles and Veronica talked. Again he felt like he was intruding, but he couldn't make himself move from next to Hermione.

He just kept sitting and looking at Hermione, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, then holding her hand against his cheek.

He was starting to fall asleep when the door opened again and he heard Charles talk to Healer Watson.

'Ron, is it okay if I take a sample of your blood now?'

Ron replaced Hermione's hand on the bed and stood up.

'Yeah…er…how…?'

Healer Watson smiled.

'Take your outer robes off, Ron and roll your sleeve up on your…are you left or right handed?'

'Right.'

'On your left arm then.'

Ron did as he was asked.

'Sit down, Ron, and relax.'

He pulled a small box out of his white robes and set it down on Hermione's bed.

'Make a fist for me, Ron.'

Healer Watson turned around and Ron saw the needle in his hand.

'Something tells me this is going to hurt.'

…oooOOOooo…

Molly Weasley knew her youngest son could be incredibly stubborn at times. If she was truthful with herself, she would have to admit that every single one of her sons was stubborn, she just hadn't decided who they had got that particular trait from. Some people thought stubbornness was a good thing to be, standing your ground when you were doing what you thought was best. But others thought of it as an unwillingness to compromise and see another's opinion.

At this point in time she was one of the latter, annoyed about her son's lack of consideration for his own health and state of mind after what had happened to Hermione.

She understood why he was worried, everyone was worried for Hermione's well being, but that did not give Ronald the excuse to make himself ill and disregard her requests to have a decent meal and a good night's sleep.

And that was why she was striding through the corridors of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in search of her youngest son so she could take him home and make sure he got everything he needed.

She would not stop him returning, no. But she would make sure he was fit to do so when he did.

Her frustration at Ron built as with every step she envisioned him coming up with excuse after excuse as to why not to go home with her.

She rounded the corner and stopped dead when her eyes fell on the floor outside Hermione's room.

Her little boy was curled up, asleep on the cold hard floor. Tears instantly filled her eyes and she started walking forward towards him.

She reached the curled up form and kneeled down next to him.

'Ron,' she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She cleared her throat. 'Ron,' she said again, this time louder.

Ron stirred but didn't wake up. Molly was about to gently shake him to wake him when she saw something that made her stop, her hand half way to his shoulder.

There were tear tracks across the bridge of Ron's nose. He had cried himself to sleep.

'Oh, my Ronnie,' Molly said, her mouth hardly forming the words.

She rearranged herself until she was sitting on the floor next to Ron. With strength she only had in these types of situations she pulled Ron off the floor and into her lap. He didn't wake, so she rocked him and held him, stroking his hair away from his eyes.

She tried to stay strong, and to remind herself why she was here; to get Ron home, eating and sleeping as he should be, but the weight of what had happened to her, to her family and to her youngest son washed over her in waves. She tried to control her sobs, so to not wake Ron but she couldn't stop her tears falling from her eyes and landing in Ron's hair.

So intent was she on not waking Ron, she didn't notice when his hands started gripping the back of her robes and fresh tears started to fall from his eyes.

…oooOOOooo…

He had not cared that he had fallen apart in his mother's arms, or that she had realised he was awake and crying, and, therefore, not let him go until he had stopped.

He had not cared that they had not moved from the floor where he had initially fallen asleep, regardless of the people who walked past them. He heard the footsteps but did not look up at the faces. The footsteps never stopped and no one exclaimed or laughed at the scene. He thought that everyone on the ward they were on, were on there for the same reason. They all had friends or family on there and understood the emotion that was so openly on display.

He had cared, though, when his mum had tried to make him leave the hospital and go home. When he had pulled himself out of the dark place his mind had gone to he realised why his mum was there. Yes, she was concerned for Hermione's well being, but he hadn't been at home properly since, well, months in all honesty, but now everything was finished and done with, he still hadn't been home like he, _they_ should have been. He tried to remember how long he had been at the hospital, it had to be days by now, he just wasn't sure of how many. Three? Four? Five? His head hurt just thinking about it.

He had managed to compromise with his mum: when Healer Watson came back to him with his and Hermione's initial blood test results and told him any thoughts he'd had about their 'connection' and more importantly, Hermione's condition, then he would go home and eat and sleep and whatever else his mum wanted him to.

She hadn't liked it, but had eventually agreed. She was waiting for him in the hospital canteen and wasn't going to leave unless Ron was with her. Now all he had to do was wait for Healer Watson.

He had been wandering around the corridors of the hospital for the last fifteen minutes. After his conversation with his mum he had gone back to Hermione's room and had peered in the door. He had seen Hermione's mum and dad holding each other, Veronica obviously distraught and holding on to her husband, waiting for him to tell her it would all be alright and Hermione would be back with them soon.

He left as soon as he'd seen them. He wanted to talk to them both, tell them that he would do anything he could to help Hermione, and remind them that now there was some ray of light in the far distance that could be he answer to waking her up. But then he remembered what Charles had told him earlier; that he would not let Ron do anything that was remotely dangerous in order to wake Hermione up.

That was what he had been thinking of before he fell asleep on the corridor floor; that as much as he might be able to help Hermione, he wouldn't be allowed to help her for his own good. That idea tore him apart. Did her dad not realise how much of a torture to him that would be? Knowing that he could do something to help but being forced to stay on the safe side of caution 'just in case'.

He hated thinking about it, so he had walked in the hope that he would find some distraction. It had worked to an extent, but now he was back outside Hermione's room door and it looked like he could go in without interrupting anyone.

'Ah, Ron, there you are.'

'Healer Watson! Sorry, I didn't know you were going to be back so soon. I thought things would take longer.'

'Ah, well, normally they would, but when you're owed a favour, things can happen rather quickly! Would you like a seat?'

Healer Watson didn't wait for Ron to reply but conjured a chair for him next to Veronica. Charles was on her other side.

Ron sat down.

'Right, well, according to these results, there is something present in your blood, Ron, _and_ in Hermione's that could be a residue from the potion that you both swallowed which forged a connection between the two of you.'

'Er, okay…um, should I be concerned?' Ron said.

Healer Watson smiled.

'I think if this was anything sinister then you would have had some side effects before now, Ron. Actually, I think it's become so much a part of your blood system that your body has adjusted to it and now thinks is _normal_.'

'And Hermione has it too?' Charles asked.

'She does, but we only found – in comparison to Ron – a tiny amount.'

No one said anything in answer to the Healer's statement, so he continued.

'From what I've read of your nurse's notes, Ron, everything about your connection with Hermione was equal. You shared your pain equally, when one fell unconscious, so did the other, and by the end of it you were sharing your dreams and emotions. It was always a two way exchange and one of you was never affected more or less than the other.'

Ron wasn't sure if he was supposed to agree or not so he just nodded.

'I find it a bit strange, therefore, that Hermione only has a small amount of it in her blood whereas you have a considerable amount more.'

There was only a second's silence.

'That's what she took from me.'

Ron had said it without thinking, but he hadn't needed to, it made perfect sense and was the most logical answer.

'Ron, let's not jump to conclusions,' Healer Watson said firmly. 'We have no way of telling whether that was what happened, as we didn't test Hermione's blood beforehand. On a basic medical level, I can't see how that was possible, either. There was no physical exchange of blood between you, which I have to say is a good thing as you are both different blood types and would have been disastrous. I just don't see how this residue could have been exchanged when the only physical contact you had was you holding Hermione's hand. For all we know, Hermione may have always had that amount of residue.'

'But she might not have.'

'Ron don't—'

'What if that's what the infection did? What if it destroyed this stuff that we both have and that's why she hasn't woken up yet?'

'Ron—'

Ron continued to ignore the Healer's protests.

'You said that this stuff had become part of our system so it would be like her losing all the white blood cells or something, and she can't replace it like she would normal cells because…because, it's not naturally in our system so her body doesn't know how to!'

He stood up and walked around the back of his chair. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him.

'Ron, there's at least three huge presumptions in that theory,' the Healer replied. 'This residue could have nothing to do with Hermione's condition!'

'But it could have _everything_ to do with it. Everything fits!'

'No Ron,' Charles said loudly. 'What we have is a few facts that _might_ lead us onto something, but what you're doing is mashing them all together and hoping that they come up with some half arsed thought.'

'It's the most logical thing!' Ron exclaimed, his frustration at their lack of acceptance of his theory coming through in his tone.

'Ron, calm down,' Veronica said, her eyes finding his. 'We have found something that _may_ help us, but we do not need our hopes building for it to turn out to be nothing. We _can not_ do that to ourselves. I won't let you do that to yourself, or to us. Understand?'

Ron looked at Veronica and then Charles, and gave the smallest of nods.

'I'm still waiting for some more results to come back, but they may take longer to return,' the Healer said, obviously finding the scene that had been a little uncomfortable. 'Can I suggest the three of you take the opportunity to go home and get some rest?'

Charles gave the Healer a reassuring nod.

'Good,' the Healer said as he stood from his seat. 'I shall contact you as soon as the results arrive.'

'Thank you, Healer Watson,' Veronica said quietly.

He left the room.

Ron started thinking about all that he had heard. He knew what had to be done, there was not other option. He would have to fall asleep the same way he had last time and see if the same thing happened again.

His racing thoughts were mirrored in the way he had started pacing across the room. His actions had not gone unnoticed.

'Don't you dare, Ron.'

Ron stopped dead and stared at Charles.

'Don't…what?' he asked.

'Don't you dare come up with some plan which involves you trying anything stupid. I told you before, I will not let you play the hero.'

'Play the hero?' Ron repeated, his anger and frustration building up inside him. 'That's why you think I've been doing all this? Just to _play the hero?_'

He hadn't meant to shout, but he had ended up doing so anyway.

Charles stood and walked around the chairs and nearer to Ron.

'That's not what I said, Ron. Don't twist my words. I've already told you Hermione wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger!'

'Yes well, we won't know what she wants because she's in a coma, isn't she! And she's unconscious _because I left her_. Everyone in the world can tell me it's what Hermione wanted me to do and what needed to be done for the best for the whole fucking Wizarding world, but at the minute I couldn't give a rats fart what's best for the rest of the world. My world will cease to exist without Hermione in it. _I will not sit here and do nothing!'_

It had taken every ounce of restraint in him to keep his voice from cracking from emotion but he could still feel tears start to burn his eyes.

'And you think it's easy for me, for us to sit here and do nothing to help our little girl, Ron? You don't think we feel the same guilt for not stopping her going with you and Harry? I can't do anything for her but—'

'But you would if you could, wouldn't you? You'd do anything to bring her back?'

Charles didn't say anything, but continued to meet Ron's eye, neither of them looking away.

'A bit hypocritical that, Charles. There's the difference, you see, I _can_ do something to help her.'

It was Veronica's time to stand up and join in the 'discussion'.

'You don't know that Ron, you—'

'If you don't mind,' Ron said, interrupting her sentence. He had heard enough of the protests from Hermione's parents. He needed to leave, 'I'm going to go home. My mother's waiting for me upstairs. It would be rude to keep her waiting much longer. I'll be back tomorrow.'

He turned away from them, half expecting a protest. As he turned the handle on the door, Veronica spoke.

'Ron?' she said quietly. Ron paused and turned his head towards her. 'We'll see you tomorrow.'

He nodded his head an inch and left the room.

He made his way through the hospital quickly to collect his mum from the canteen. For the first time since Hermione had been admitted to hospital he wanted to go home.

He had some thinking to do.


	9. 09 Disappointing Discoveries

**::whistles::**

**So, it's been a while, but in all fairness two and a half months isn't too bad! If you could let me know what you think, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.**

**Step ;)**

* * *

Chapter 9 

Somehow he had managed to force down all the food his mum had put down in front of him. It had been made easier by the fact that she had made all his favourite comfort food, but still, it hadn't been easy.

He hadn't protested when she had told him to go up to bed, despite it only being seven o'clock in the evening, and had been in his room for the last half an hour. His eyes had been closed for all of five minutes while he tried to arrange his thoughts, but then he had got up off his bed and rummaged in his old school trunk for some parchment.

He had looked for a quill before he remembered that he had Hermione's pen in his robes. He sat down on the bed and straightened out the dog-eared parchment he had managed to find and then pulled the top off the pen.

He was intent on writing things down, laying things out like he had done so many times, but it just wasn't something Ron could do. He knew that staring at the parchment for minutes on end wasn't going to help him, but he didn't know what else to do.

Ron looked at his bedroom door when he heard a door on the floor below shutting. Knowing it was Ginny's door that had just closed – meaning she had just gone in the room – he decided he would see if talking to her would help him.

Slowly he opened his door, making sure no one was watching him or listening out for him not being asleep. He crept downstairs, keeping to the left hand side of the staircase, which he knew to be less creaky than the right, and knocked and entered Ginny's room without waiting for a response.

His eyes widened when he saw Harry and Ginny stood at opposite ends of the room.

'Shit! Sorry, Gin! I didn't even think! I'll go, I'm sorry!'

Ginny chuckled.

'Ron, calm down, it's fine,' she said through her giggles. 'What exactly do you think Harry and I were getting up to on opposite sides of the room?'

'Well…I…I dunno! I still should've waited for an answer, I just didn't want to get caught out of bed by mum, hence the quick entrance!'

'That's a point,' Harry said with a frown, 'why aren't you asleep? You should be resting.'

'Are you channelling my mother?'

'Wow, that's a scary thought,' Ginny mumbled, wincing.

'Not that I know of!' Harry replied.

'And after the day you've had shouldn't you be _resting_ too?' Ron asked.

'How do you know what I've done? I haven't seen you to tell you!'

'Mum filled me in during the force feeding, I think she was trying to keep my mind off…things.'

The three fell silent for a few seconds. Ginny cleared her throat.

'So, have…_things_ changed at all?'

'Yes and no.'

'What?' both Harry and Ginny exclaimed.

'Shh!' Ron hissed. 'I didn't do the stealth act down the stairs to have you two get me found out! Don't shout when I'm telling you, okay?'

'Sorry,' Harry mumbled. Ginny nodded her head.

'Right, well, you know what happened…was it yesterday? I can't even remember when it was…anyway, when I was connected to Hermione and I had that fit…thing.'

Harry and Ginny nodded slowly.

'Well, apparently Hermione…how did Healer Watson explain it? He said to imagine that she was under water, like way under water, a hundred feet or so, well after what happened between me and her, he says she's now like a bit nearer the surface, not a huge amount, but it's something. Apparently her brain's a bit more active than it was.'

'It's Hermione! You can't keep her brain inactive for long.' Harry said with a small smile.

Ron smiled.

'So, what made that happen?' Ginny asked. 'Is she just getting better?'

Ron took a deep breath.

'Well, see that's the other thing. They took a sample of my blood and Hermione's too and did some tests on it. They found something in both of our blood samples that Healer Watson hadn't seen before. They think it's a side effect of your dodgy potion and the remnants of the connection we can't remember a thing about.'

Ron rubbed his face.

'The thing is, Hermione's only got a tiny amount in comparison to me.'

'Why's that significant?' Harry asked, frowning.

'Because it should be equal!' Ginny shrieked.

Ron was glad Ginny was thinking like Hermione's Healer.

'What? Why?' Harry asked, his voice getting louder with each question.

'Shh!' Ron gestured before pausing to listen out for movement downstairs. 'From what you and Gin told me and what Madam Pomfrey wrote in her notes, _everything_ about what we shared was equal. Everything! The Healer said something else too, he said that because it had been in our blood for this long, that our bodies must consider it normal, or it would have flushed it out our system.'

'So, because she doesn't have the amount she should have, she's unconscious!' Ginny finished for him.

'Exactly!'

'Right, so we just wait for her to…grow herself some more!' Ginny said. Ron knew she was hoping he was going to tell her that's exactly what would happen.

'No. Well, probably not. Her body doesn't know how to make that stuff because it's never had to. It's accepted it as something new and something that won't harm her, and has now become to depend on it, but it can't make any more.'

'So you'll have to share yours!' Ginny said simply.

Ron's heart leapt. This proved it wasn't him jumping to conclusions.

'But—' Harry said, before being interrupted by Ron.

'That's what I said! I think that when I had that fit thing, this stuff is what she took from me. It makes sense! In the dream or whatever it was, it definitely felt like she was taking something from me and I think it was whatever we share in our blood!'

'Hang on—' Harry said, but was yet again interrupted.

'So can you do it again?'

'Woah! Hang on a minute!' Harry shouted to stop the onslaught of words coming from the two siblings.'

He got a venomous _'Shh!'_ in response from both brother and sister.

Harry whipped out his wand and cast a silencing charm around the door.

'I will not shush! Firstly, Ron, did the Healers say that you would have to give Hermione this potion remnant stuff to make her better?'

Ron looked at anywhere but Harry.

'Um…not exactly.'

'Not exactly? Does that mean he's concerned because of what happened when you last _apparently_ gave some of this stuff to Hermione?'

'I'm_fine!_' Ron said through a clenched jaw.

_'But you weren't!'_ Harry shrieked in what had to be considered as a very un-manly way. He coughed, trying to give a reason for the squeak in his voice. 'You were fitting and then were unconscious for a couple of minutes. Actually, have they tested you to see if there was any damage from that yet?'

Ron shook his head.

'Of course they haven't. I'm guessing you haven't let them do anything to you because you've insisted they concentrate on Hermione. Correct?'

Ron nodded.

'Bloody idiot! Secondly, you don't know that Hermione took that stuff from you. You can't do, they didn't test her blood beforehand.'

'So that's why I have to persuade them to let me try the whole falling asleep, dreaming weirdly thing again. It's the only way to make sure!'

'_But it makes you ill!_' Harry shouted.

'I DON'T CARE!'

Harry took a step backwards at Ron words. Ron glared at him, breathing heavily. He swallowed.

'I can't sit on my arse downstairs doing sod all while Hermione lies in hospital. I won't do nothing! I've told her dad and her mum the same thing and I'll say it to anyone else who thinks I'm insane for wanting to wake my girlfriend up! I dare you to say you wouldn't do the same thing if it was Ginny in the same situation.'

Harry looked at Ron and then looked at the floor. He took a deep breath and looked at Ron again.

'What happens if it makes you seriously ill? If taking the tiny amount of whatever it is from you caused you to fall unconscious, what happens if she takes more? Percy said he couldn't get you to let go of her. What happens if you just end up swapping places? She takes all this stuff from you, she wakes up but it's you unconscious then?'

'That won't happen!' Ron shouted in response to Harry's continuous questions.

'You don't know that!' Harry retorted.

'All right! Shut up the pair of you!' Ginny snapped. 'Harry, you know Ron needs to see if this will work. It's not risk free, of course it's not, but I think if either you or me could help Hermione wake up, then we would.'

Harry looked at the floor and after a while nodded his head.

'I just…I just don't want anyone else hurt or injured because of this war. Especially…especially you. You've been through enough already.'

Ron took a step forward, hesitated, then walked towards Harry and hugged him.

They gripped each other tightly for a few seconds and then pulled back.

'I have to do this, Harry. You know that.'

Harry nodded.

They heard a sniff and turned around to look at Ginny who was hastily wiping her eyes.

'You okay, Gin?' Ron asked.

'Fine!' Ginny replied in a too cheery voice.

'That was a shocking attempt at lying, dear sister of mine,' Ron said with a smirk.

'Oh sod off!'

'Are you jealous? Do you want a hug too?' Ron said with a grin.

'Well, if I did I don't now! Git!'

'And I love you too, Gin!'

Harry laughed out loud and Ron joined in. After a second his face split into a yawn. For once, he brought his hand to cover his mouth.

He smiled sadly. _Typical!_ he thought, _I only remember to do it when she's not here to see it._

'I think you should go and try to get some sleep, Ron,' Ginny said, walking towards him. She rubbed his arm, comfortingly.

Ron nodded. 'Think I will. I'll leave you two to what you weren't doing when I walked in!'

Ginny hit Ron on the side of the head.

'Arse!'

…oooOOOooo…

For once he had slept. Not right through the night, he had gone to bed too early for that to have happened, but he had managed six hours and had only woken up twice. He had stayed in bed for an hour and a half until four in the morning before getting up. He was still tired, but not quite as much as he had been in the last couple of days.

For an hour he had been sitting at the kitchen table reading through Madam Pomfrey's notes. He had read them all before but thought having not looked at them for a while might bring something 'insignificant' to his attention.

He had read with wide eyes the words describing the argument and actions that had led to their kiss. Harry had told him about it, they had both gone very pink and had never mentioned it again. Harry had made some sarcastic comment when he and Hermione had finally decided to put all the misunderstandings behind them and finally admit their feelings for each other, but apart from that, it hadn't been mentioned.

He had had to laugh when he read that they had argued before hand. Typical. It wasn't as if they wanted to annoy the other one, but sometimes they just couldn't help it. At least now they had another way of dissipating their frustration.

Despite hating the taste, Ron made himself some coffee and made himself drink it without milk, but with plenty of sugar. He thought he might need the caffeine later in the day. An Invigorating Draft would be a lot easier and a lot more effective, but after he had taken one on their Horcrux hunt and had been bouncing off the walls of their tent for the next four hours, he had decided not to take one again, unless in a dire emergency.

It was quarter to six when he heard other people in the house stirring. He pulled his robes on and folded the note he had written in explanation of his absence. He had simply stated he was going to the hospital and would see anyone who went to visit Hermione later in the day.

Healer Watson had allowed Ron to visit Hermione at any time of the day, under strict instructions that he was not to sleep at the hospital anymore. The Healer had worded his statement very carefully and had made it sound like he was concerned for Ron and him getting a good night's sleep, something he couldn't do in the hospital. But Ron knew that Healer Watson didn't want Ron falling asleep near Hermione. Not after what happened last time.

He arrived at the hospital just after six and walked through the very quiet corridors. He kept his head down and avoided the questioning looks Mediwitches and Healers gave him – not all of the staff knew he was allowed to be in the hospital outside of regular visiting hours – and quickly made his way up to Hermione's private room.

He was about to mutter the password to get into Hermione's room when he noticed movement inside the room. He pushed open the door.

'Healer Watson?' he said as he entered the room.

'Ron! It's rather early for you to be here isn't it? I thought I told you to rest!'

'I did! I went to bed at about half eight and slept for longer than I have in days. Unfortunately, when you go to bed early, you wake up early too!'

Healer Watson smiled.

'Well, at least you managed to sleep for a little while, anyway!'

Ron nodded before kissing Hermione on the forehead.

'I take it there's been no change.'

'No, she still stable, but still in a deep coma.'

'Any news from the blood tests you were having done?'

Healer Watson didn't reply straight away. He looked purposefully at the parchment in his hands.

'I wanted to talk to Mr and Mrs Granger and you together, Ron, about the results of those tests.'

'Why? What is it? What've you found?'

'Calm down, Ron.'

Ron sat down on the chair at Hermione's bed head.

'Did you do the same tests on my blood?'

'Yes, we did.'

'Then can I request that you tell me the result of those tests, please? I believe I have a right to know about them.'

Healer Watson frowned ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and shuffled the pieces of parchment he was holding. He cleared his throat.

'We attempted to isolate the part of the blood that you and Hermione share – the remnant of the potion that connected you to each other. We found that it is actually woven into all the cells in your blood.'

'All of them?' Ron exclaimed.

'All of them,' the Healer repeated. 'My colleague decided that it would be best to try and perform tests on the plasma in your blood, as this is the part would be able to be transferred safely to Hermione without causing any other damage.

'Plasma's the stuff that all the other cells float about in, isn't it?' Ron asked, just making sure he was getting everything right in his mind.

Healer Watson nodded. 'It is. Blood is about fifty percent plasma so we get more per unit that anything else.'

'So what tests did your colleague perform? Was he able to isolate it? Or duplicate it?'

Healer Watson sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

'There's a problem, Ron.'

'What? What problem?'

'We found that between the time the Plasma was separated from the rest of the blood, and the time they were about to test the mysterious substance, it had deteriorated so much that it wouldn't have been noticed had they not been looking for it.'

Ron frowned.

'So, they need to do the testing quicker!'

'Ron, it was about two minutes between finishing the separation and starting the testing. They couldn't have done it any faster. By all accounts as soon as you separate the blood it breaks down.' He sighed deeply. 'There's no way we can harvest any of the potion remnant in the laboratory.'

Ron looked at Hermione, he couldn't take her eyes off her.

'And they're…you're positive you can't duplicate it from my blood.'

'We're positive. They tried it more than once, Ron.'

'They don't need anymore of my blood to carry on testing?'

Ron saw the Healer shake his head in his peripheral vision. He had refused to take his eyes off Hermione.

'No, Ron. They've done all they can.'

'So what now?'

The Healer shuffled his parchment back into the correct order and propped his glasses onto the top of his head.

'I have the rest of my patients to see and then I need to discuss all of this with Mr and Mrs Granger. You are, of course, welcome to stay with Hermione for as long as you want. But please, remember what I said about sleeping at the hospital. Now that you're regaining something of a normal sleeping pattern, I don't want you to jeopardise that progress.'

Ron nodded his head an inch, still not looking at anywhere else but Hermione.

'I shall speak to you later, Ron.'

The Healer left the room.

Ron leaned forwards and propped his elbows on the mattress. He picked up Hermione's hand in his and entwined their fingers.

'Well, apparently science, both Muggle and Magical can't help you, Hermione. They tried, but apparently the stuff that we've kept in our blood doesn't like being played with.'

He kissed her fingers one by one.

'So, if the Healers can't help you, then that leaves it up to me, doesn't it? I won't leave you like this, Hermione. You won't hurt me, I know you won't. I trust you, Hermione and I love you. That's why I'm doing this. You'd do the same, I know you would. You'd try and save me, and I have to try to get you back here with me. I _need_ you here with me, so don't get angry when you wake up, okay? Promise?'

He kissed her fingers once more and smiled.

'I'll hold you to that.'


	10. 10 Thinking Things Through

**Delayed trains aren't _all_ bad, annoying, yes, but when they give you the opportunity to get a chapter out, it's not all bad!**

**Very wordy this one, but this is what happens when I get into one train of thought (no pun intended).**

**If you could let me know what you think, it would be much appreciated. Ta :D **

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Chapter 10

Ron knew he was pissing off the staff of St. Mungo's, more specifically the Healers and Mediwitches and wizards under Healer Watson's authority.

They had been instructed to regularly check Ron hadn't fallen asleep and he had already nearly given two of the Junior Healers and a Mediwizard a fatal heart attack when they looked in to the room.

He wasn't asleep (as they found out after sprinting across the room to Hermione's bed to find Ron looking up innocently at them through wide awake eyes,) he had simply adopted a position that may give the impression he was asleep.

He was sitting on the edge of his chair, his torso lying across Hermione, his left arm protectively covering her and his hand on her hip. His right hand held her left and his head lay on his outstretched arm.

When the second Junior Healer had skidded to a halt at the bedside opposite Ron, he had simply turned his head an inch to look at the Healer and said 'Problem?' before being reminded by the Healer once again that he was not to fall asleep whilst at the hospital. Ron not so kindly said in return that he knew this information already and that he wasn't going to fall asleep.

The Healer had left not looking at all convinced by Ron's last statement and Ron had gone back to looking at Hermione and thinking things through.

Because for once he had no intentions of falling asleep. He was thinking, planning and working things out, and he knew, as much as his recent dreams had helped in some ways, in the world of the living, they were no help at all.

He had decisions to make. Tough decisions that he was scared of for more than one reason. He knew anything he did himself to help Hermione would have risks, and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was scared of the possible outcomes regarding his own health.

But as much as he was scared of what might happen to him, he was scared of what would happen to Hermione if he left her how she was. Would she ever come round of her own accord? Or was her lacking the substance they both shared enough to keep her in a coma until her body stopped being able to keep her alive?

And then, what if he did do something and it merely led to them swapping places? Would Hermione then risk her life by doing whatever he had to bring him back from the same place she had been?

'Nah, you'd work something else out, wouldn't you?' he asked in reply to his own question.

He had tried to think – how had Hermione phrased it? 'Outside the box' that was it – he had tried to think outside the box and come up with all sorts of 'what ifs?' to a few scenarios he had come up with, but they had all, at one point, needed their strange blood component to be extracted from his blood, and, apparently, that was no longer an option that they could pursue. There was only the one option left but no one was going to let him risk his health. This was why he had to come up with a plan to enable him to carry out his other half formed plan to help Hermione.

He had a lot of thinking to do.

Percy Weasley knew his brother well, more than his brother would ever admit.

As he was getting ready for another day at work, he pondered over the research he had undertaken for his brother and thought over how much he would tell Ron when he next saw him. In all fairness that depended greatly on the results of the tests Healer Watson was expecting back from his colleague today. If all went as planned, then Healer Watson and his team would have a way to bring Hermione out of her coma, without harm to her and more importantly, without harm to Ron.

He was scared for Ron, more than he liked to admit, but after seeing Ron fit violently when he fell asleep holding Hermione's hand, Percy had vowed to himself that he would come up with something to help Hermione without hurting his little brother.

It was because he knew Ron so well that he was scared for him. He knew the way Ron thought and knew the types of conclusions Ron would jump to. Hermione had 'reacted' when Ron had fallen asleep and Ron would take that to mean that it was doing her good and that he should keep on doing it until she woke up.

Percy physically shuddered at the memory of his brother fitting and convulsing on the hospital floor, obviously in pain, with no way to stop it at all.

So he was hoping and praying that the Healer would return the news that they had managed to isolate and duplicate whatever it was in Hermione and Ron's blood that connected them in a way no one understood, so that Ron didn't feel the need to do something stupid and willingly give Hermione what his and Hermione's body apparently needed to function properly.

Despite him hoping for the best possible result, Percy was prepared for the worst as well. He knew his brother and, therefore, knew that if the professionals couldn't help Hermione then Ron _would_ try everything and anything he could to bring her back to him. Percy had, therefore, with this in mind, expanded his research to techniques, which could be implemented to reduce the harm that Hermione could do to Ron if he insisted on trying his 'falling asleep' trick again.

For once he wished he was back at Hogwarts, he had a certain book in mind that he thought would help him. He had to smile at the thought that while working for the Ministry of Magic, with all the resources and archives that were housed in the grand building, he was wishing he had access to a school library. He had to admit though, that he had a soft spot for the school library. It had never failed him before; chances were if he needed help from the ancient school again, it would aid him once more.

But despite his usual pessimism, Percy Weasley was hoping for the best.

Charles Granger was someone who didn't normally flap around, get worked up or stressed out and he especially wasn't the type of person who paced around. He was, therefore, a bit concerned that his body had decided the best way to deal with his current stress was to walk up and down his lounge instead of either sitting calmly, waiting for the time to leave for St. Mungo's Hospital of Maladies and Injuries to come round, or reassure himself that everything that could be done, was being done and there was, therefore, no point in getting worked up.

His father had always told him that there was no point in worrying, events would transpire how they damn well liked and there was no point in worrying about it until they actually transpired.

He normally followed his father's advice, but today, he couldn't help but worry. He was sure his father would understand that when it came to worrying about his only daughter, who was currently in a magical coma – the type of which the professionals had never dealt with before – the rules about worrying flew out the window along with calm, rational, thought.

He decided to sit down and wait for his official escort from St. Mungo's instead of wearing his carpet thin.

He was worried about his daughter. In all fairness he had been worried about his daughter since the day he packed her off on a train to the far north of Scotland to learn how to develop and control her apparent magical talents. That worry had intensified when they had gone into hiding, something he thought he would never have to even contemplate, never mind plan out with the magical authorities. The worst part of the previous year and a half had been knowing Hermione had been out in the thick of the conflict, and there was nothing he could say or do to stop her going.

On that day the tables had been turned again. Normally it was him who accepted Hermione's decisions and had let her get on with them and his wife, who had quietly voiced all the things that might go wrong with them, and tried to talk Hermione round to her thinking if she didn't think that her decision was the correct one.

But on that day, it had been him who had tried to stop Hermione doing what she wanted to, endlessly listing the things that might go wrong, listing the reasons Hermione had said to him as reasons why _they_ had to go into hiding back at her. Strangely, Veronica seemed to resign herself to the fact that Hermione would go with Harry and Ron, regardless of what either of them said.

When he had confronted his wife and asked her why she had just let her go without a fight, she had looked him directly in the eyes and smiled.

_'We taught her what is right and wrong, and Hermione knows, that as much as this may be the hardest and most dangerous things she will ever have to do in her life, that it's the _right_ thing to do. And because of that she won't stay with us. She needs to go. Let her grow into the person we always told her was the right type of person to grow up to be.'_

And when it came down to it, she was right, and Hermione was right in taking the decision she did, even though things hadn't turned out the way that they had planned.

But now there was something else that was worrying him, or rather some_one_. Ronald Weasley had taken it upon himself, on the last time they hastily met, to promise he would return Hermione to him. He Had taken it upon himself to protect Hermione through whatever they had to do and bring her home, however much she protested that she could look after herself.

He didn't doubt Ron's conviction in any way, but he knew that sometimes conviction wasn't enough, especially when there were forces at work that were stronger than even the bravest souls. To put it bluntly, the odds were stacked against them. If they set out to do whatever they thought they needed to do, and accomplished their goals, it would be one hell of an achievement. Doing that and returning home safely, was another thing entirely.

It was Ron's conviction that now worried him on top of everything else he was dealing with. Ron felt personally responsible and extremely guilty for what had happened to Hermione, regardless of what he had been told over and over again by Harry, Arthur, himself and Veronica. Charles knew that the guilt Ron felt would drive him to help Hermione in any way and this is where Charles found him to be conflicted in a way that scared him.

He had told Ron that he was not to 'play the hero' and follow any leads that might lead to him putting himself in danger. The 'incident' that had led to him collapsing on the floor had given Ron hope and an obvious way of helping Hermione. Charles saw it too. He saw the logic that had fuelled Ron's thoughts of helping Hermione recover and he had to admit that it was certainly something that had to be looked at and considered carefully. But he had seen the way Ron's eyes had lit up when the realisation that there was an obvious answer to the problem hit him, and knew that it would take a hell of a lot of dissuasion for him not to go ahead with whatever plan he would come up with to make her better.

And that was why Charles Granger was conflicted. He cared for Ron, of course he did. He had shown what sort of person he was on that second meeting where he had promised to do all in his power to protect his little girl, and he didn't want anything to happen to him, or for the Weasleys to go through what he was going through. But there was a chance that it would work. There was a chance that whatever Ron might decide to do would bring back his only daughter to him.

And there was nothing more Charles Granger wanted in the world than to have Hermione back with him safe and well.

Mediwitch Harrison was tired. She had been working for twelve hours and was looking forward to when the clock turned to eight o'clock when she could go home and sleep before starting another night shift on the ward.

She hadn't quite got used to night shifts, but she would have to, she had another three days of them before she was entitled to four days off, which preceded another five days of working 'eight til eight'. After that she would have to readjust her body clock back to normal and start working day shifts once again.

She could complain and whine about the rough deal she was getting, but it was expected. She was new to the hospital and therefore had to go through all the wards, all the shift types and all the mundane and sometimes stomach turning clean up jobs that were required of her and everyone else who was just starting out in a career of Nursing.

This evening had been happily enjoying the lull in activity. Over the last few days there had been far too many admissions to the ward she was working on. It was both a blessing and a curse to have a relative admitted to this ward. She thought of it as an in-between ward. The people who were admitted – in the highly professional opinion of the Healers downstairs – weren't liable to wake up in a day, or even a week or two – and was, therefore, the 'curse' part of the admission, but there was hope that something would come up and their condition would improve. In other words there was more to be looked into and until that had happened, they would stay in this ward.

It was in no way professional to voice her opinion, but when she contemplated the state of some of the people who were admitted to this ward, sometimes she thought the Healers really didn't know what was wrong and until they had any sort of clue of how to deal with their patients, they would stay here.

Magic was a strange and unpredictable thing, and that fact, in some instances, made Healing a very hit and miss situation.

Mediwitch Harrison was about to file the last of her paperwork when her eyes fell upon the door of the room, which housed Miss Hermione Granger. She knew Miss Granger's boyfriend was visiting her, and she, along with the rest of the staff had been given strict instructions to regularly check up on Ronald Weasley and make sure he hadn't fallen asleep. The senior members of the staff on the ward had been told specifically why that was, but Mediwitch Harrison was one of those still in the dark as to why that was.

She didn't need to understand the reasoning behind her instructions to be able to carry them out properly and efficiently. She made her way down the corridor and was about to open the door when it opened from the other side. The tall redheaded man walked out and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

'Are you leaving for long, Mister Weasley?' Mediwitch Harrison asked.

'Um…yeah. I'm not coming back before lunch. I might see you later on though.'

Harrison smiled.

'Well, my shift ends in,' she checked her watch,' precisely eight minutes, so I won't be here when you return, but I might see you later on tonight or tomorrow.'

She smiled and was happy to see Ron return the gesture.

'Yeah…' Ron replied with a nod. 'Tomorrow.'


	11. 11 Plans into Action

**No, you aren't seeing things, and I may hear a few _'No :insert your own expletive here: way!' _But yes, I have finally updated this story, and this, therefore, should put to rest any fears that I had forgotten about it. Needless to say I have not, and I actually Have A Plan for the next couple of chapters. That said I can't promise quick updates, overtime really takes away your free time, but I will be writing it when I can.**

**Thank you for the prompting in your reviews to the other stuff I've been posting on here. You'll be glad to know they made me feel sufficiently guilty and probably had something to do with me getting this out.**

**Hopefully this will have been worth the wait. If you could let me know what you think, It'd be much appreciated.**

**Thanks! :D**

**Step ;) xxx**

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Chapter 11 – Putting Plans into Action

18:19

It was the hardest thing he had ever done. He had fought against gut instinct many a time. He had walked head on into danger when inside he was screaming to run in the other direction. He had told his best friend that he would do all he could to help him do what he had to do; however much some part of him screamed that this was not a good idea.

But this was totally different.

Instincts against an action you can either box away, or ignore totally with some practice, but primal reflexes are so much harder to ignore.

When you're in pain, your body will do all it can to either get you away from the pain or reduce it, but he was fighting both of those reflexes and it was getting harder by the second.

He knew that he should let go of her hands and stop looking into her eyes, but he couldn't.

He would lose her forever if he did.

--

08:03

Despite the amount of horrific things they had been through and the truly horrendous things he had seen, he was still feeling very nervous to be standing in front of Minerva McGonagall's office.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door. He heard footsteps and the door opened in front of him.

'Weasley! What are you doing here? Is everything all right?'

'Er…yeah, it's fine, well…no, it's not. Hermione hasn't woken up yet, that's why I'm here actually.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, I was wondering if I could use the library, there's a couple of things I want to look up, if that's okay of course. I don't want to get in anyone's way.'

He looked up and saw his old Professor's expression soften and then turn into something that looked like disbelieving.

'Of course you can, Weasley. I shall inform Madam Pince you are to be allowed to use the library whenever you need to.'

'Thank you. I appreciate it a lot. Can I be cheeky and go and use it now? The quicker I find what I want, the quicker I can get on with…stuff.'

He felt his ears go red. He wanted to tell someone, anyone, what he wanted to do, but he couldn't. He just hoped his old school teacher wouldn't question him.

He felt her eyes on him, so raised his to hers. He could tell from her expression that she wanted to ask him about what he had planned but she didn't.

'Of course you can. Any time you need to use it, do so.'

He nodded his head.

'Thanks.'

He made his way through the castle, through the unlocked doors of the library and in between the desks and towering bookshelves.

There was the odd student dotted around, none of them doing schoolwork. It looked to Ron as if they were just sitting there, finding sanctuary in what was familiar and what they knew. If he didn't have to leave, he would seriously consider doing the same. Hermione would, that he knew without a doubt.

Thankfully, he didn't see Madam Pince. He didn't have time to explain that he had permission to be in the library. He didn't for one second think that a war coming to a head would stop her looking after her precious books.

He kept walking and found the stack of shelves he wanted.

He looked up at the sign and sighed.

_Legillimancy_.

--

18:29

There was a lull in the pain and his breathing started to return to normal. The pain was still there, but for the minute it was bearable.

He knew he was okay to look somewhere else than the dark brown eyes, but he didn't want to. He compromised by blinking to stop the grainy feeling in his eyes but kept his gaze on her.

'Her…' he coughed and managed to clear his throat. 'Hermione.'

Her eyes were on him, but she wasn't looking at him. Through him maybe, but definitely not at him.

'Hermione, say something to me. It's me, Ron. I'm trying to help you. Can you say anything?'

Silence.

She blinked and Ron searched for recognition in those eyes he loved so much, but he knew there was nothing.

Except pain. So much pain. He couldn't take this much longer, but he couldn't let her go, wouldn't let her go.

Ever.

--

16:07

He wasn't sure, but he might've finally understood Hermione's obsession with books and learning. Partly, anyway. He'd poured over the volume he had taken out the Hogwarts' library drinking in any information that he thought would help him and felt a jolt of excitement course through him when he found something of use.

But he had that excitement because he _needed_ to know all he could that might help Hermione. There was a point behind his research, whereas Hermione would get excited about learning something, just because. He would never understand that, but he loved that quality about her.

He closed the book one final time and took a deep breath. He'd got everything he needed: Five bottles of potion which he had managed to get hold of in a not entirely legal way, his and Hermione's hospital notes which he had gone through and marked for later on, blankets, spare clothes, comfort food and water, and he had enlarged his rucksack with an Undetectable Extension Charm to house it all.

He had one more thing to do and he hoped he could pull it off. His plan would be easier with someone there to, not help, exactly, but just be there and observe and carry out instructions if asked to.

He jogged down the many stairs in the house and shuddered as he passed the stuffed heads on the walls. He reached the bottom of the stairs and made his way through the narrow hallway and into the kitchen. He put his rucksack on the table, took a deep breath and hoped his next action would work as he intended.

It would make his life so much easier if it did.

--

14:47

Matron Williamson was returning to the 'in between' ward after an hour on the floor above. The first thing she did on arrival was to check the list of potions they had in the store cupboard, to see if any needed replenishing. If there was, she would send word to the labs downstairs and ask that the correct potions be brought up to the ward.

She took down the sheet that was attached to the cupboard door and glanced up and down the list of potions.

She noticed there were only two types of potion that needed replenishing, and she wasn't surprised at the two types they were; calming draughts and dreamless sleep potion were often used on this and the adjoining ward so there was no reason for concern there.

She was about to fill in the potion request form when heavy footsteps came up behind her. Alarmed, she looked around and was shocked to see a Mediwizard hurrying towards her.

'Mediwizard Simpson! What on earth's the matter.'

'Please, Matron Williamson, th…there's an emergency downstairs…' the Mediwizard struggled to catch his breath. 'We need…your stocks of Blood Replenishing Potion, until the lab can brew up enough to…help.'

The Matron looked at the blood spattered Mediwizard and nodded her head sharply.

'Of course.'

She set off towards the stock cupboard and Mediwizard Simpson followed her, still trying to calm his breathing.

'I've just checked the stocks and we have five bottles remaining after the last shift. I can give you four but I must keep one in case of an emergency up on this ward.'

She looked over her shoulder and the Mediwizard nodded his understanding and agreement.

'Anything you can spare will help, Matron Williamson.'

The Matron arrived at the cupboard and waved her wand six times over the lock. A series of clunks and clicks signified the door was unlocked and the door slowly swung open.

The Matron pulled both doors open and instantly frowned. She checked and double checked the list of potions that was on the door of the cupboard but there was no mistake. There was supposed to be five bottled of Blood Replenishing Potion in stock for the ward.

When in actuality, there was none.

…

12:09

He knew he should feel guilty about breaking into and stealing from his brother's shop, but he really couldn't at the minute. He was feeling so many other emotions, there wasn't any room for guilt as well.

He disabled the caterwauling charm, struggled with but managed to eventually bring down the wards around the building and snuck inside.

He moved to where he knew the decoy detonators were kept and pulled the sheet down that was covering the shelved stock. He grabbed a couple of the boxes and pushed them down into his rucksack. He replaced the sheet and left the shop as quickly and as quietly as he had arrived. In another second, he was nowhere to be seen.

…

16:33

The knock on the door rattled his brain and he closed his eyes. He opened them when he heard the door open and a sharp intake of breath.

'Ron? What's wrong? Is it Hermione? Has anything changed?'

Ron held up his hand to stifle the onslaught of words from Charles.

'Hermione's fine, I mean…the same. Well, she was last night when I left. I haven't been to the hospital yet, this morning.'

Charles furrowed his brow.

'I've just been doing a bit of research up at school,' Ron answered in reply to Charles' quizzical look.

'Found anything of use?' Charles asked in a tone that suggested he didn't expect any good news.

Ron shrugged.

'I dunno at the minute, I'll need to do some more before I can tell. Hermione would be proud of me!'

Charles sniggered.

'She certainly would.' He blinked and looked shocked. 'I'm sorry, Ron, come in! Veronica would kill me if she knew I was keeping you on the doorstep!'

Ron smiled as he walked into and through the Granger's house.

'Take a set, Ron.'

Ron shook his head.

'I'm okay, thanks. Um…do you mind if I go and get a few things for Hermione from her room? Harry mentioned something about a C…D…music player…thing that Hermione has and taking it to the hospital so she's not in silence when we're not there.'

He felt his ears go hot and was trying to cover up the way his hand was shaking.

'Oh! Of course, go ahead. I think all her CDs are stacked next to her music system. I don't know whether there's anything she'll like anymore, they're not very recent. Buying music hasn't been on her mind the last few times she's come home, something about a dark wizard intent on taking over the world and oppressing everyone who doesn't agree with his ways and views!'

Ron couldn't help but give half a smile.

'Yeah, something like that might distract you from keeping up with current music. '

'Yes, indeed. But you're more than welcome to take Hermione something to keep her company.'

'Thanks. The Healer said something about external stimuli. I have no idea if this is anything like what he meant, but…well…' he shrugged.

'Worth a try, though, eh?' Charles said with a forced smile.

Ron nodded.

'Left at the top of the stairs, not that there's anywhere else you can go, then it's the second door on your right.'

Ron nodded in understanding.

'Thanks.'

He made his way upstairs and found a room that was obviously Hermione's. He longed to take a few minutes and drink it all in. Take in every detail that Hermione will have made her own and not stopped moving around until it was in the perfect spot, but he couldn't.

He shrugged his backpack off his shoulder and put it on Hermione's bed. He opened the smaller front pocket and took out an envelope. He looked down at his own untidy handwriting and stared at the word on the front.

He looked around the room, trying to find the best place to prop it up. Noticing a small jewellery box on the set of drawers he couldn't help but smile. Engraved on the front of the – what he guessed was Mahogany – box, were Hermione's initials. Celtic patterns criss-crossed their way across the top and the brass catch glinted in the morning sunlight.

He opened the box and glanced over the few pieces of jewellery in there. He recognised the blue jewellery she had worn to the Yule Ball in their fourth year, and then his eyes found the one thing he had only seen once:

A teardrop shape blue stone on a silver chain.

He had asked her what it was, who had bought it her and why she was taking it off. She had replied 'Lapis Lazuli', 'my mum' and 'because it's done it's job'. He didn't understand her last answer but they had been interrupted before he had chance to ask her to explain.

He picked up the chain and thought for a second before hastily pocketing it. He closed the box and set it on top of the envelope he had brought with him. He stepped back and nodded. The envelope was visible if you were looking carefully, but wasn't glaringly obvious, which was exactly how he wanted it.

Picking up his bag, he set off towards the door but as he reached it remembered with a jolt the reason he had told Charles why he was up there. He hurriedly looked around the room and spotted what he presumed was Hermione's personal CD player and her stack of CDs. He grabbed the silver device, randomly picked out a few CDs and the very neatly folded wires on the top. One set ended with a bud shaped thing at both ends, and the other set with a larger, round object with holes in the front. He put the lot in his backpack, made sure everything was in place as he found it, and left the room.

…

18:43

Percy was running as fast as he could through the house, calling his brother's name as loud as his hoarse throat would let him.

'RON!'

He tore up the stairs, ignoring the ache in his legs and threw himself into his youngest brother's room.

'NO!' he bellowed. 'Merlin, Ron! Where the hell are you? Where've you taken her? It's not safe!'

He paced backwards and forwards for a few minutes, desperately trying to think like his brother, trying to work out what he had worked out and put in to action to take Hermione from the hospital and try to wake her up.

There was no other explanation. He knew Ron had obviously either decided that he couldn't stand Hermione being unconscious anymore, especially when he was convinced he was the only one who could help, or, he had found out something and decided to act on it without consulting anyone at all.

Either way, Percy knew Ron had to be found as soon as possible.

A large crack startled him into drawing his wand. He pointed it at the obviously distressed House Elf now standing in front of him.

'Mister…Weasley…sir?' the elf panted, physically shaking as he stood there.

'Yes?'

'I is Kreacher…s-sir.'

'Kreacher?' Percy asked. 'The black's…I mean, Harry's elf? You helped them during…'

Percy couldn't finish his sentence

Kreacher bowed his head. He was still trembling.

'I served Master Potter as I should. Please, sir, I have been t-told to bring you to G…Grimmauld Place.'

'I…what? Grimmauld Place? Why do you want me to go there?'

'I have b-been inst…structed to bring you to the house of my Master should…should certain events take place.'

For a second Percy considered going with the Elf. Then he remembered Ron and mentally scolded himself for letting his mind slip off his task.

'I'm sorry, Kreacher. I have something urgent I must continue with.'

'Sir, doesn't understand. Master Ron insisted I bring you and only you to Grimmauld Place.'

Percy whipped his head round to look at Kreacher faster than was wise. He ignored the ache in his neck muscles and glared at the trembling Elf.

'Did you just say—'

'Master Ronald, sir, yes!' Kreacher replied with instant confidence in his voice.

Percy was lost for words, he had just been figuratively floored by a House Elf.

'I…what do…'

He rubbed his temples with his palms and closed his eyes. It was then that something came back to him.

'What did you mean 'should certain events take place'?'

Kreacher wrung his hands and started to shake again.

'Please, sir, everything will be easier to understand when we is back at the house.'

The House Elf seemed to struggle with his conscience for a few seconds before walking forwards, taking a tight hold on Percy's leg and disapparating out of the Burrow with a snap of his fingers.

--

18:40

_'Remember us together, remember our past.'_

The words swam in front of his eyes and he could hear Hermione saying them over and over in his head.

Images and memories crashed into his mind and he gasped as two months of his life came back to him in an instant.

The pain wasn't just in his head anymore, it was all over his body, as if the pain was in his blood, being forced into every one of his cells. He could bear it at the minute, but he didn't know for how long he could.

'Ron?'

The voice was closer than the others had been. As if it was in front of him.

_'Ron!'_

He opened his eyes and his heart leapt as the brown eyes he was looking into weren't looking through him.

'Her…Hermione?'

'Ron, where are we? What's going on?'

'Wait…are you-? Are we-?'

The pain coursed through him and he couldn't help but scream. He had never felt pain like it before.

He knew he was dying; there could be no other outcome after pain like this.

'Ron! No! Ron what's going on? Can you hear me? Ron, _please_ open your eyes! For _me,_ Ron. Open them _for me!_'

He knew he had to listen to her voice, to do what she told him. But as he let the darkness consume him the pain lessened.

It was better this way.

…

18:42

He burst through the door to his daughter's bedroom, nearly damaging the hinges on the barrier.

Frantically he searched for anything different, any clue as to where his daughter was now.

He was so angry, so scared and so frustrated. He felt like he was going to snap at any second.

He turned in anger once more to look around the room. As he stopped in front of the chest of drawers his eyes rested on Hermione's jewellery box and his heart ached.

Then he noticed it was sitting on something.

He pushed the box aside and picked up the envelope underneath it.

He read the word on the front and frowned.

Hermione

He didn't recognise the writing instantly, but memories of letters from an old, tired owl written in the same hand came to him.

It was Ron's writing.

He turned the envelope and saw it was wax sealed. In the bottom right hand corner were two words in smaller writing than Hermione's name.

_Forgive me._

Anger surged through him as he tore the envelope open.

_'If you've put her in danger I'll never, ever forgive you, Weasley!'_

…


	12. 12 Confusion to Clarity

**::blows dust off story:: ::waves sheepishly::**

**Hi! Remember me? Remember this story? So do I now! It's embarrasing when you have to re-read your own story to carrying on writing the next chapter! In all fairness to me it has been ten months, but that's hardly been fair to you, the readers of this fic. For that I'm sorry, but as you can see this is in the forefront of my fic writing mind.**

**I hope this update isn't a disappointment for you, I really enjoyed writing it so hopefully you'll enjoy reading it.**

**I'm not making any promises about the next chapter, real life is still hectic, juggling work, social and love lives is not easy, but I'll get there with this fic in the end. Please bear with me like you have for so long.**

**I apologise now for the lack of betaing for this chapter. I'll have more time to look through it tomorrow and will replace with a beta-ed chapter eventually.**

**Ta :D  
**

**Step xxx  
**

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**12. Confusion to Clarit**y

...

Something wasn't right.

Her eyes were blurry and grainy and she didn't know where she was.

She didn't really know who she was.

She closed her eyes when her head started to ache and she tried to think, but she started to go dizzy and felt sick. It was then that she realised she wasn't actually breathing. She started to panic, not knowing why her body wasn't doing what it should automatically do. She retched and coughed, which, thankfully, helped her body to perform it's most basic function, and breathe.

She took lung full after lung full of air. Stars appeared in front of her eyes and her head went fuzzy, but after a few seconds the head rush died.

She blinked and her eyes came into focus, she looked from right to left, half recognising where she was but not being able to put a name to the place.

It was then that she noticed she was holding something in her hand, something heavy, warm and clammy.

She looked down at her hand and followed the line of the arm that followed from the hand in hers. She took in the scarred arms, the familiar knitted jumper, the freckled, pale skin and the shocking red hair.

'Ron!'

Her voice cracked.

'Ron, wake up!'

She turned away from him, trying to work out why they had fallen asleep, wherever they were.

Her head was aching, thumping in time with her heartbeat. She unwound her fingers from around Ron's and took her hand away. As she did so, 'a sharp pain penetrated her temples'. She cried out in pain.

The pain died down and she looked around her again. A desk had been pulled out to next to the bed there were files, books and parchment sprawled all over it.

She shut her eyes, confusion overwhelming her. The last thing she remembered was noise, shouts and screams and pain. Her hand went to her side and she pulled up her top to search for any evidence of her pain. She looked at the skin: it was red where she had obviously been wounded, but it looked like it had been healed magically.

'If I've been healed, but only just woken up, why aren't I in St. Mungo's? Ron, why are we in Grimmauld Place?'

Her memory had finally recognised the room where she was as one of rooms in the Black's family home. She wasn't sure which one specifically but it was definitely Grimmauld Place, she had spent enough time here over the last year.

She swung her legs off the bed, and that was when she noticed a piece of parchment on the bed next to her. She read her name on the front and recognised the hand as Ron's.

'Ron, what's going on? What's all this stuff and why are we here and not at the hospital, or the Burrow? Ron?'

She turned and noticed Ron was still not stirring. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him to waken him.

'Ron!'

Still he did not stir.

'Ron?'

Panic started to build in her stomach as she shook him harder and still got no response from him. It was then that she looked at him closely. His fringe was stuck to his forehead, which was covered in sweat, he was paler than she had ever seen him and she noticed now that he was shaking.

'Ron! Ron what's wrong? What's wrong, my darling? Can you open your eyes for me, Ron? Please?'

She knelt on the bed next to him and felt his forehead. He was burning up.

She span round, desperate for some clue as to what was going on. It was then that her hand rested on the piece of parchment one more. Her head was telling her to go and get someone who could help Ron, and then explain what was going on, but her heart wanted to see what her Ron had written to her in a letter.

Her heart won.

_Hermione,_

_If you're reading this then things have gone as planned in one way but not another. If you're reading this then it means you're awake, which was what I wanted more than anything in the world, and was the reason why I did what I did, regardless of the outcome._

_But if you're reading this because I can't explain everything to you, then my second hope didn't quite work out._

_I'll try and explain this as clearly as I can, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I'm sorry if I'm not as clear as I can be._

_It started with the Final Battle, you were hurt and told me to go and help Harry, which I did and we won. The war is over, I think you know that, but I'm not sure how much you'll remember. When I came back to you, you were losing consciousness, I tried to heal you and managed to keep you alive until I got you to the hospital, where they healed your wound and cleaned your blood. The spell that hit you, as well as making you lose a lot of your blood, infected it with something and that made you lose consciousness._

_This is where it gets weird. You know that time in sixth year, which we can't remember? The time we were inseparable because of Harry's dodgy potion. Apparently the potion left a residue in our blood that us and only us have. It made itself an integral part of our blood that we need to function. No one knows how or why, but it's the only logical explanation, I have it and I'm fine, you've got considerably less and aren't._

_One day when I was with you in hospital, I fell asleep and I had this weird dream. I was in this place that was warm and sunny and there was green grass and blue sky, and I remembered stuff that happened in those weeks we can't remember. It's strange and I'm waffling now when I don't have the time to. Basically there's this subconscious place that we went to, we shared dreams there and when one was ill we went there to help the other heal. It's all in the notes I got from Madam Pomfrey; they're on the desk._

_That's where I was and I knew I had to look for you and help you wake up. I came back from that dream with a Latin phrase, which I asked your dad to translate. It was 'Remember us together, remember our past'. I have no idea why I came back with that, maybe you were trying to help me help you, but it had a lot to do with me figuring out what would waken you up._

_The Healers tried to duplicate what we have in our blood, but they couldn't. As soon as they tried to separate the blood to test it, it died within minutes, not giving them enough time to duplicate it or anything else helpful._

_See, now I'm waffling out of order. Bloody typical! Before that all happened I asked Percy to hex me to sleep to see if I had any more dreams that would help me help you. During that sleep I went back to our place and I shouted and screamed for help. There was a tree there and our initials were in the bark. I touched them and couldn't pull my hand away. My head hurt and my energy left me. When I woke up I Percy told me I'd fitted but also said you'd reacted to whatever happened when I was asleep. When Healer Watson – your Healer at St. Mungo's – checked you over, he realised your brain was more active and you weren't in as deep a coma._

_That was when they tested our blood and found all that stuff out about the residue and that they can't separate it and give you more of it._

_Don't get annoyed with me, but I did all this because I know that what happened when I fell asleep the second time – when you reacted – helped you. They didn't test your blood before hand so they can't know if I gave you any more of the residue, or not. I know though, that I did. It all fits and is the most logical explanation. The Healers don't want to get their hopes up though._

_Which is why you're in Grimmauld Place and not St. Mungo's. I brought you here but I didn't tell anyone. No one wanted me to do this because there was no solid evidence or some other bollocks. If you're angry at me, I'm sorry, but I had to do this. I knew it would work and wake you up, and that's worth everything to me. My life isn't complete without you, so I had to try._

_I got everything I thought I might need: Our notes from Madam Pomfrey, books on Legilimancy – I thought opening my mind before I hexed myself to sleep may help with all this – Blood Replenishing Potion, decoy detonators and Peruvian darkness powder – just in case - blankets, water, and – sorry for taking it from your room – your Lapiz Lazuli pendent. Though it might bring us luck._

_I think that's it, I don't have time to check if I've got everything down on here. This has taken me longer than I thought. They'll work out you're missing soon, again, sorry about that. I hope you forgive me._

_I love you, Hermione. Nothing in the world would have stopped me doing this._

_Don't do anything stupid._

_Ron xxx_

There were tears streaming down her face but she had no idea what specifically she was crying at.

There was so much information in her head, yet she needed more to fully understand. She turned around back to Ron and tried to wake him once more, but nothing happened. He was still hot, still clammy and still shaking.

'Oh God, Ron, what have you done?'

She stood up and looked around her, all the things Ron had mentioned were on and around the desk but she didn't know what to look at yet. Some part of her brain was screaming at her to get help, but she knew that Ron had brought her here for a reason. If she got someone here, they would take them back to hospital and separate them and not let her help him the way he had helped her.

Because that was what she had decided to do. It wasn't even a conscious thought. It was just something she had started thinking about as soon as she had stood up.

Now she was flicking through the notes that Madam Pomfrey had taken through her sixth year. Pieces of information were underlined and notes were written in the margins of the parchment. She recognised Ron's hand on occasion but there was another type of handwriting there, which she didn't recognise. She was pleased that the underlined bits of information, all together, succinctly told her what had happened through those weeks she couldn't remember.

After only a couple of minutes she moved on to her notes from the hospital – how Ron had acquired these she wasn't sure, but she realised if he had got her past everyone in the hospital, a file of notes wouldn't have been a major problem.

It was as if Ron had known she might've had to look at them, as the most relevant information was at the top of the pile, and the top pages were starred in the corner. When the stars stopped she stopped reading.

She picked one of the Legilimancy books off the table and before opening the volume she moved to the bed and picked up Ron's wand.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and opened the book at the contents page. She didn't get much further, however, because the door to the bedroom burst open.

Before thinking about it, she stood and pointed her wand at the door.

'EXPELLIARMUS!' she screamed.

A wand flew through the air and she caught it in her left hand. Only then did she see who had burst into the room.

It was Percy Weasley.

'Hermione! You're here! You're awake! You're… where's Ron?'

He was peering around her shoulder and spotted his brother on the bed.

'Ron!'

He set off for the bed but Hermione stepped in front of him, both wands drawn.

'Percy, stop!' she said firmly.

He stopped and stared at both the wands Hermione was holding.

'Hermione, you shouldn't be here, you've been ill and I have no idea what Ron's done but it can't be good if he's looking like that. You have to let me help him!'

He went to walk forward but Hermione lifted her arms higher, pointing the wands at Percy's throat.

'You're going nowhere near him. He's not leaving here until I've tried to help him. He did all this to wake me up and he succeeded, the least I can do is try and do the same for him.'

'Hermione don't be ridiculous! Helping you has got him in that state, and we don't even know what he did to wake you-.'

'I know exactly what he did. All I need to do is work out a safe way of reversing what happened to him.'

'There is no safe way to do it, Hermione!'

Hermione could see Percy was about to crack, he was frustrated and angry, but facing a woman with two wands. He visibly deflated.

'Look at him, Hermione,' he said, in a voice barely above a whisper. He's ill and needs help. Whatever he did to help you, has not been good for him.'

'If they find us here, they'll separate us and not let me help him, like they wouldn't let him help me.'

Tears burned her eyes again, but she couldn't let herself cry again. She had to make this right.

'There's a reason they didn't want him to help you the way he wanted to, Hermione, and it's lying right there on the bed. We thought this would hurt him in the process, that's why we wanted him to wait and find another way of sorting this out. From that point we were going to make you better without harming Ron.'

'But we're not at that point anymore, Percy. We're here and the only way to get us both back to normal, together, is for me to go back to our place.'

'No. I won't let you.'

'Percy, one flick of either of these wands and you'll be in no state to do anything.'

'Threatening people doesn't suit you, Hermione.'

'No it doesn't, but that doesn't change the fact that I will incapacitate you unless you try and help me.'

'The others will work out you're here soon. Everyone's looking for you and Ron, I know your Dad won't rest until he's found you.'

'My Dad?' Hermione said, tears threatening to escape her once more.

'He's visited you every day, him and your mum, and he tried to help Ron come to terms with what happened to you. Told him not to blame himself when that was all he was doing. He's treated Ron like a son, and by that I mean he's given him a bollocking on occasion as well as comforted him.'

Hermione looked at him. She knew he wouldn't leave willingly and she might need him to help her at one point.

She lowered her wands. Percy didn't move.

'Will you help me, help Ron?' she couldn't stop the tears falling this time.

'You're going to put yourself in danger, Hermione. How can I help you do that?'

'Because you know I'll do it anyway, and maybe with your help it might not come to the dangerous part.'

Percy smirked. 'Now both of you have used emotional blackmail on me. It's hardly fair, that, Hermione.'

'Nothing about this is fair, Percy. Nothing at all.'

Percy nodded in agreement.

'How do you think I can help you?'

'There's only one thing that I can do differently than what Ron did. He read a book on Legilimancy from the Hogwarts library. He was convinced that if he did the basic Legilimancy skills, learning to open his mind and concentrate on one specific thing, would help us communicate or something, when we were in our place.'

'What do you want to do differently?'

'It's the only thing I can think of, it came to me as I read the letter he wrote for me. Maybe because his mind was so open to finding me that it left him vulnerable to a body – me – which was desperate for whatever this stuff in our blood is and I just took it. If he'd been more protected from me, if he'd closed him mind before hexing himself to sleep, he might have controlled what he gave me, instead of letting me – by the looks of him – take most of what he had.'

Percy looked at Hermione, his eyes brighter. He looked to the table with all the things Ron had gathered, then back at Hermione.

'I might be able to give you a very basic understanding of Occlumency. It's nothing much, but it might help you to clear your mind and help you block out Ron for a bit, until you understand what's going on in there.'

Hermione sighed in relief.

'That's what I hoped you would say.'

She turned away from him and sat on the bed.

'Does anyone know you're here?' she asked.

'No. Oh! Kreacher does. It was Ron who told him to come and get me should things not go to Ron's plan.'

'Kreacher?' Hermione called.

With a crack, the old house elf appeared before her and Percy.

'Miss! You are awake! Master Ronald will be very pleased, very-.'

His eyes fell on Ron and widened.

'Master Ronald has not woken up!'

'No, Kreacher, he hasn't, but I'm going to wake him up, and I need your help.'

Kreacher kept his eyes on a still shaking Ron, but nodded his head.

'I need you to keep people away from this room, Kreacher. If you will take orders from me, then please do, and take those orders as not letting anyone else in this room. We need to be left alone. Will you do that?'

Kreacher nodded his head and disappeared with a crack. Hermione had no idea how he was going to achieve his task, but she didn't really care.

She turned back to Percy.

'Right, what do I need to know?'

For the next few minutes Percy quickly went through the basic ways to clear her mind. Hermione briefly remembered the odd phrase that Harry had spouted in rage when talking about Snape and his Occlumency lessons.

Just as Hermione thought she was calm enough to start thinking about Ron objectively but without feeling any strong emotions, she heard a loud bang downstairs, then shouts.

She laid down on the bed next to Ron and took his hands in hers.

'Percy, hex me to sleep, now!'

'No, Hermione, I wouldn't do it for Ron, and I won't do it for you.'

'But you did do it for Ron and you will do it for me!'

She glared at him as thundering steps came up through the various floors in the house. Hermione knew she only had a minute left at the most.

'Percy, please, I need you to do this for me. You're not doing it out of malice, you're doing it because I need to go and save your brother and the man I love.'

Percy kept looking over his shoulder at the door.

'Don't be a coward, Percy, don't wait until they arrive and take the decision out of your hands. Tell them anything. Tell them I never woke up if you want. Just tell them you found me here like this, I don't care.'

Her time had run out. The door burst open and in ran Charles and Harry. Charles stared at Hermione, his mouth opening a few times but no words coming out.

'Hermione!' Harry exclaimed. 'You're awake! Where's Ron?'

'He's still there, Harry, and I'm going back to find him. Don't you dare try and stop me, and don't bring me back. I come back with him, or I don't come back at all.'

She unwound her fingers from one of Ron's hands and snatched Percy's wand out of his hand.

'I'm trusting you, Harry,' she said as she placed the tip of the wand against her temple.

She looked at her dad and saw his eyes widen.

'No!' he whispered.

'I'm sorry, Dad, I'm truly sorry.'

'Hermione! No!'

She took a deep breath and imagined a large white space with nothing in it.

_'Obdormio!'_

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**If you could review and let me know what you think I'll love you forever. :D**


	13. 13 On the Other Side

**::dances:: Check me out! lol**

**I did intend to have this chapter take things a bit further on but it didn't pan out that way. This is a bit plotty and might be a tad confusing in places, but it's not supposed to be incredibly clinically clear, because it's theories bouncing around and three confused people doing the bouncing.**

**Again, not betaed so there may be the odd mistake even though I've tried to catch them all.**

**If you could be wonderful readers and review for me it'd be much appreciated.**

**Still no promises with the updates, I'm afraid. To be honest I'm quite surprised myself, that this appeared. That said, I do know how I want the next chapter to go. Oh and there's maybe 4 chapters left and I shall - hopefully - be inspired to keep going until the very end!**

**Love and cookies ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 13 On the Other Side**

**...  
**

'Ignore her, Harry. Wake her up. Wake her up _now_.' Charles demanded.

Harry took two steps forward and just stared at Hermione.

'Harry, I'm serious. I'm her father and her next of kin. Wake her up, _now!'_

Harry ignored him, still standing and staring at Ron and Hermione on the bed. Hermione was still holding on to Ron's hand, her other by her side. Her brow was furrowed ever so slightly as if concentrating hard on something. Harry couldn't help but smile.

'HARRY!'

Harry jumped at the eruption from Charles.

'Oh, um...'

'Don't you dare, Harry.' Percy said in a low voice.

'I-...what?' Harry replied.

'What did you just say?' Charles growled as he strode next to Percy and glared down at him.

'I said...' Percy said as he looked up at Charles, 'no.'

Percy watched as Charles bristled. Before Charles had chance to reply he started talking, he had to get him to understand what was happening.

'Firstly, we don't know how much damage we'll do. She's determined to stay in there and help Ron. With their minds connected and hers focused so much, she'll probably be protected from the spell, but if she's not, it could damage her brain. Secondly, there's a chance she might actually work this out, so she gives Ron what he needs but doesn't hurt herself in the process.'

'We don't know that!' Charles responded. 'Ron could wake up and Hermione'll be right back where she was and we'll be back to square one.'

'And then Ron will insist he does all this again,' Harry mumbled.

'We won't let him this time! We'll put up more security, we'll ban him from the hospital, I'll have him put in prison because of this if that's what it takes!'

Percy took a deep calming breath. 'No, you won't Charles, and chances are, anything we do to stop Ron repeating all this, won't be enough.'

'He's done things these past year that have astonished both Hermione and me. If he sets his mind to something, he'll do it no matter what.'

'Not that it'll come to any of this, because I have confidence that Hermione will bring them both back,' Percy said with a little more confidence than his expression implied. 'I just wish there was more we could do at this end.'

'Maybe there is...' Harry said, trailing off and leaving Percy wondering if there was a conclusion to that statement.

'Percy, Harry, _please_, I am begging you to wake her up. I'll do anything, _anything_, to bring her back to me,' Charles begged, his voice breaking with emotion.

'All we can do is have faith in Hermione's ability, and make them comfortable,' Percy replied.

'Wait, maybe we can do more than that,' Harry said as he walked over to the desk. He picked up a bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion and turned it around in his hand.

'We know that Hermione and Ron can't produce the potion remnant they have, naturally, but they can't have a finite amount or else neither of them would've survived this last year!'

'What do you mean?' Charles asked instantly alarmed.

'I'm not going to go into detail of what we've done, but we've been hurt, and bled more than I care to think about. Hermione and me were hurt badly one time. Really badly. Ron managed to get us out of where we were and back to safety, and we always had some of this stuff' he raised the bottle he was holding, 'on hand just in case.'

Harry swallowed and took a deep breath.

'I recovered quite quickly, but I was weak for a few days so I kept taking this stuff until I felt strong again. But Hermione... well, we were worried about her. Really worried. It took her a couple more days to come round properly and then a few more before she was strong enough to carry on as we had been.'

'So, you think that her body was... what? We know they can't produce it.'

'No, they can't, but what if, when inside their blood where it should be, it can duplicate itself, or... something...'

He trailed off, realisation dawning on him, that if this was the case, then surely Hermione would have improved on her own when in her coma. Charles voiced his thoughts.

'Surely she would've woken up on her own then.'

'Look the losing blood thing is only a theory, and it might have been that Hermione lost more blood than me so took longer to recover.'

'No, I think you're right, Harry,' Percy said, walking over to Healer Watson's notes on Hermione. 'It's not logical to think there's a finite amount of this stuff, as you said, they've been injured enough over the past year for this thing to do some damage in the sense that if they had literally lost all their 'original' blood, then they would be dead. But that doesn't explain why Hermione didn't over time get better. Maybe there was something...'

'It was the infection!' Charles exclaimed. 'We know that the infection wiped this stuff out of her system, maybe it damaged the rest that it didn't manage to wipe out and that's why it couldn't replicate and duplicate itself to the right amount she needed! That makes sense!'

Harry, Percy and Charles looked at each other, hoping that they had finally solved all the mysteries about Hermione's coma.

'Then it still might work,' Harry said simply.

'What might work?' Percy asked.

'Giving Hermione some blood replenishing potion. I'm completely staggering around in the dark here, but if we give her some of this, maybe – when this has transformed itself into the same type of blood cells Hermione has – it'll encourage the remnant to produce more of it and convert the new blood to their weird type of blood. If Hermione starts off with more of it than she needs to stay awake, then she'll be able to give Ron what he needs, but keep her own levels the same.'

The three of them stood in silence, each going over Harry's theory and wondering if it would indeed work.

'Surely giving her the potion won't do her any harm, regardless of whether all that works. I mean, it's just like giving her more blood isn't it?' Charles asked, unsure of what the potion actually did.

'I don't reckon it'll harm her at all; it's just like her having a blood transfusion.

'So...' Charles said, walking over to the desk next to Harry and picking up on of the potion bottles off the desk, 'it doesn't expand or double in volume or anything, does it? If we gave her one bottle she would effectively get one bottle of her own blood once it's stopped transforming. So it's not like it's going to give her extra volume that her arteries and veins can't cope with.'

'No, I don't think so. I've never heard of anyone becoming ill from too much of this potion,' Percy replied.

'And I've never actually heard of anyone in the Muggle world becoming ill or dying because of too much blood,' added Charles. 'The wrong type of blood, of course, can be fatal, but as far as I'm aware no one's died from too much. I take it the potion responds to what type of blood the patient already has in their veins, yes?'

Percy nodded.

'Right, that settles it then, we'll give her the potion. Just one small problem, how the hell do we get her to drink it?

...

She was sitting down.

She wasn't overly comfortable, but she wasn't uncomfortable. She was the sort of comfortable you could be when sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Grass. Definitely grass, not a hard floor.

She presumed the grass was green, only because she knew that grass was green and she had no reason to suspect that this grass would be coloured in another way. But she wasn't sure because she hadn't opened her eyes yet.

She had felt the individual touches of the blades with her right hand, and she'd recognise that sensation anywhere, so she was pretty confident that she was definitely sitting on grass.

Still she kept her eyes closed and concentrated on the image in her mind, which, at the minute, was a white room. She was happy she had managed to keep her concentration through the pain that had invaded her temples. She was lying down and had refused to open her eyes while she arranged herself in the sitting position she was now currently in.

Still she managed to keep her eyes closed when images started to invade her mind, but she couldn't stop her breathing from speeding up or her heart rate from increasing when she remembered everything they had been through together. It had taken her a while to compose herself after that, slowly bringing her breathing back to normal and closing her mind to the images that had invaded her head with no warning.

She knew in detail what had happened to Ron when he had come here to save her. Emotion had overwhelmed her when she had seen him crouched on the ground, in obvious pain, clutching onto her hands as if his life depended on it. What had disturbed her was the fact that he had been clinging on to her, helping her, but she just stared right through him.

She remembered coming through what can only be described as a fog in her mind, and then saw Ron, collapsed in front of her on the grass. That was when she had woken up.

She couldn't let that happen to her. She wasn't being selfish, if it meant that Ron could live on without her, she'd do anything that she needed to, but if it happened that Ron woke up without her, she knew he'd just come straight back like she had. But somehow she knew that it wouldn't work again.

She had no way of explaining it, but things felt different. In their previous visits to this secret and private place of theirs, the sun had been shining, with only a slight summer breeze that cooled their skin when needed. This time the air was cooler, the wind harsher and something just felt _off_.

It was like the environment that they both thought of as a sanctuary, was turning against them, telling them they had outstayed their welcome, telling them to go back to where they belonged.

Which was why she knew that she had to get things right this time, and for the minute, that meant keeping her eyes closed to what was around her, because she needed to concentrate, and feeling Ron's hand in hers, she knew he was close by, and he would be one distraction too many.

She was here to help them both, and getting dragged in too deep, too soon, would not be good for either of them.

She had to think about this logically and coolly, and for the minute, Ron Weasley couldn't have any emotional hold on her. Emotions had no place where logic needed to rule.

...

'Please tell me we never have to do that again,' Charles said, his voice shaking.

Percy had told him that what he was about to witness wasn't going to be at all pleasant, but that still hadn't prepared him for watching his daughter being magically forced to swallow the potion.

They had reluctantly put her under the spell, but it had to be done, there was no other way. That was why the spell had been invented in the first place.

They had to time it correctly, had to wait until she had breathed in, before casting the spell. The top of her windpipe had then been forced to close and she had started to swallow, once every second. Harry had poured the potion into her mouth and had apologised to Hermione over and over again until she had swallowed it all.

At that point Percy had lifted the spell and Hermione had gasped for air.

_At least she started breathing again!_ Charles thought to himself as he looked out the window, onto the street below them.

All he had done during the whole thing was hold Hermione's head so it was easier for Harry to pour the potion into her mouth. They had decided against moving her in any other way; they had no idea what was going on inside Ron and Hermione's minds but they didn't want to disturb them.

Hermione's breathing had returned to normal and she went back to looking as if she was working something out, quicker than Charles had expected. But then again, this was his daughter, and when she set her mind to something there wasn't a great deal anyone could do to get her off track.

His attention was brought from his daughter when he thought he saw someone disappear into thin air. Instantly he started to panic, but he wasn't exactly sure why.

'People are expecting us back at the hospital to tell them Hermione and Ron aren't here. I have no idea who it was, but I just saw someone apparate away outside.'

'Shit! I totally forgot we were supposed to report back regardless of whether we had news or not!' Harry exclaimed. 'I'll go and tell them… okay, what do I tell them?'

'Tell them…' Percy began, before standing up and pacing back and forth. 'Tell them what they expect to hear, that they're not here and maybe throw them off the scent a bit by saying… by saying you had a safe house or two that you've used over the past year. No one knows where you've been, Harry, Maybe you can give them a couple of locations to look at that'll keep hem busy.'

Harry nodded. 'Yeah, there's a few places I can send them, I'll do that. But they might not let me come back; I can't look as if I'm not searching for them, can I?'

'Probably a god thing, you can hardly be accused on sending the search party on a wild goose chase if you're on it with them, can you?'

'Fair point. Charles, they'll ask where you are. What do you want me to tell them?'

'Um, can you just tell them it all got too much for me and I went home? I'm not leaving this room until they're back, Harry.'

'What do you want me to tell Veronica?'

'Can you bring her here? I won't let her interfere, not that she would anyway, she'll probably take this whole thing a lot better than I did, if I'm honest.'

'Well, I'll probably be dragged off somewhere pretty sharpish, but I'll get Kreacher to bring her here. Kreacher?'

The house elf arrived with a crack, and then a loud clang filled the room. Kreacher was hitting himself on the head with a saucepan, and swaying dangerously.

'Kreacher, I order you to stop punishing yourself!' Harry shouted above the din. The elf lowered the pan to the floor and blinked, obviously dazed.

'Kreacher, I'm sorry I made you disobey Hermione's orders, I'll never have you contradict Hermione or Ron again, but I had to come up here and see what Ron had done, okay?'

Kreacher nodded slowly, causing him to wobble.

'Y…yes, Mas…Master Harry.'

'I'm sorry to do this to you, Kreacher, but I need to ask another favour of you.'

'Of…of course, Master Harry,' he said with a nod.

'I need you to bring Hermione's mum here, her name is Veronica Granger and she should still be at the hospital with Mrs Weasley.'

'That's a point,' Percy said looking a little concerned. 'How are we going to let her know what's going on without mum finding out? I know this is going to sound very harsh, but I really don't think mum should be brought here just yet. She'll demand they're taken back to the hospital and I don't want to be the one to tell her that she can't try and help them.'

'Kreacher, could you tell her that I've gone home because… because I needed to be away from it all, or something, and tell her I've asked her to come home too. Then again she may not want to see me, I was hardly in the most receptive of moods earlier when she was telling me to calm down.'

Charles looked at the desk and saw Hermione's pendant.

'Wait, she knows Ron took Hermione's pendant.' He walked over to the desk and picked it up. 'If you give this to her – subtly of course – then she'll know we've found them and agree to apparate with you.'

He walked over to the elf and the elf nodded. Kreacher took the pendant from Charles and bowed his head.

'Thanks, Kreacher,' Harry said. 'When you come back, please make sure no one else comes in the house until Percy, Ron or Hermione tell you. Is that understood?'

Kreacher nodded and bowed before Harry before apparating away with a crack.

'If anything happens, or you need my help, Percy, send me word via your patronus.'

'I will.'

Harry turned and looked at his two best friends lying on the bed. He hated having to leave them, but there was no other option. Staying here would bring interest from the search parties and that was something Grimmauld Place didn't need.

'Look after each other, okay? I need you two to help me through all the press bollocks that they've been putting off until Hermione's better. Just, stay safe, okay?'

He looked at Charles and Percy and then left the room.

…

She had no idea what had caused her to be unable to breath for what seemed like eternity, but it had passed and for some reason she knew that someone had intended for it to happen. It was as if she was floating between two different worlds, sitting in one but refusing to open her eyes to it, but knowing she was actually in a bedroom in Grimmauld Place.

Although she had panicked when she stopped being able to breath, she could hear Harry apologising to her over and over again. Knowing Harry would heed her words and not bring her back against her will, she knew he wasn't doing anything to harm her. However, that didn't stop her being very relieved when she was able to breathe normally again.

She was sure it would seem bizarre to some that she instantly got back to concentrating on what she had to do, but she didn't have any other option.

She allowed her mental image of a white room to now include the green grass she knew she was sitting on; she then allowed the walls to fade into a light blue and she acknowledged the cooling breeze she could feel all around her.

She didn't know how she knew, but she knew she couldn't take her time in helping Ron. She had to get on with it. Things were changing and not for the better. She took a couple of deep breaths and opened her eyes.

On seeing their environment changed, the sky darker and with clouds in the sky, her stomach clenched in worry.

The pain in her head took her by surprise, and then she saw Ron lying next to her. She fought he compulsion to reach out and take Ron's other hand in hers. Thoughts raced through her mind, desperately seeking a way to share what he needed so badly, but without harming herself in the process. She went over the memories in her mind, which she supposed weren't new, but had only been familiar to her for however long she had been with Ron, and again and again saw her and Ron sitting or standing with their foreheads touching.

She could feel the pain increasing, so she acted on impulse.

She lay down next to Ron and let go of his hand, she took his head in her hands and slowly brought his forehead to hers.

Instantly the pain disappeared, but then everything went black.

* * *

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	14. 14 Fighting for a Way Back

**Well, here it is, the final chapter before the epilogue.**

**See, I told you I'd get there eventually! lol**

**Yes, it's supposed to be confusing and hopefully you won't be disappointed with the end.**

**Thank you for taking this past 100 reviews, well happy :D**

**Shouldn't be too long until the epilogue, in the mean time if you could let me know what you think of this chapter I'd be very appreciative.**

**Ta muchly, Step ;) xxx  
**

* * *

Chapter 14

She didn't understand.

Everything was black, yet she still had – apparently – rational thought.

She couldn't see anything, everything around her was black but she was comforted by the fact that she hands to bring up to her face, and a face for her hands to touch.

Because she hadn't ruled death out, and there was something about being able to feel your own skin and the hair on your own arms that comforted her. It was a greater comfort that she could feel she was wearing clothes, not because she had a particular fear of not being dressed, but she didn't think that the plane of existence above theirs was bothered with you bringing your clothes with you.

Unless of course that higher plane of existence just let you get on with things in any way you wanted.

No, she was sure that wasn't it.

'Hermione?'

She daren't move, not knowing if she had imagined Ron calling her name.

'Don't be stupid, you arse, now you're hearing things! Well, at least my imagination is making sure I don't get bored while stuck…wherever the hell I am!'

She didn't know whether her brain was doing what the Ron in her head thought his brain was doing, and the fact that something like that made complete and utter sense to her concerned her quite a bit.

'Ron? Are you there or is my brain doing what you think your brain's doing?'

'Hermione? What-? I-. _What?_'

'Ron, please just tell me if you're there, I can't see a thing and I need to know if I'm going insane slowly but at least with company, or I've found you.'

Tentatively she took a step forwards, not sure if she was walking on anything or whether she was about to fall off whatever she thought she was standing on and into nothingness.

Seriously, Hermione, not the time for concentrating on tiny, insignificant details!

'Hermione, I'd be concerned if you didn't concentrate on tiny, insignificant details.'

Her eyes widened and she breathed in sharply.

'Okay, Ron, I need to know what's going on. How the hell did you-'

Her heart sank, if the Ron she could hear could read her thoughts then, he had to be a figment on her imagination.

'Oh, well, at least if I'm making up people to have here with me, I have Ron.'

'Hermione, I have no idea how I knew what you were thinking then, but I did and I know you're here with me.'

'Okay,' she replied with a sigh. There was no point in her arguing, her subconscious would do what it wanted, apparently.

'Just to say it out loud and clarify things for myself, we've either found each other in a place different from our sanctuary, or we're trapped inside our own heads and have manifested the other into existence to keep ourselves company.'

'Well, yeah, I guess it could mean we're imagining the other in our heads, but… what if we're not? I'd rather think about that possibility than the other, because if we are here alone, then, well… I don't really need to finish that sentence, do I?'

Hermione sighed.

'No, I suppose not. But how do we prove to ourselves that we are here, in the pitch black… _somewhere_.'

Hermione was tired of moving her head around, trying to follow Ron's voice.

'Ron, stay still a minute, I'll try and find you, mind you, that's providing we actually have a physical form and I'm not imaging my body.'

'Oh, okay, I'll stay here, and I do think we have a physical form, I know I've scratched my b-'

'Yes, thank you, Ron.'

She heard him chuckle and moved towards the sound. She sensed she should stop and managed not to walk into him, but she knew she was standing next to him. She tentatively reached out a hand and her fingertips brushed against a knitted woollen jumper she knew all too well.

Within a second she had turned Ron around and wrapped her arms around him, she felt tears burn her eyes when his arms wrapped around her waist and her shoulders. Instantly she felt safe and a rush of energy surged through her. She had no idea what it was, but she felt stronger from it.

'I missed you,' Ron whispered.

'I missed you, too,' she replied, only just managing to choke her words out.

'We're a right pair, aren't we?'

Hermione nodded, unable to say anything. She swallowed and tried to calm herself down.

'That's why I came b…back for y…you,' she managed to say.

'What do you mean, you came back for me?'

'I w…woke up in Grimmauld Place and read your letter. You didn't wake up with me so your plan only half worked. I read the highlighted notes that you left in the room and then hexed myself to sleep next to you so I could help bring you back.'

She hadn't noticed Ron's grip on her become slightly tighter as she spoke.

'You…you woke up?'

She nodded.

'And I didn't.'

Again she nodded.

'But you did what I did and hexed yourself to sleep, to come back and get me.'

He released his grip on her and she knew he had taken a step back.

'But…' he started, obviously confused, 'but, I told… I left… Hermione I told you not to do anything _stupid!_'

Of everything she had, well, _expected_ was hardly the right word, not here and not now, but whatever she thought may have transpired, Ron shouting at her wasn't one of them.

'What do you mean, _anything stupid_?' she retorted, a small amount of disbelief and anger building inside of her.

'THIS!,' Ron shouted in reply. 'You came back to get me when it might have killed you! Hell, that might be where we are now, in the afterlife! I was prepared to come here if it meant saving you, but you came back to get me when I told you not to!'

'Don't you dare take the moral high ground with me, Ronald Weasley! You do not get to be the only one who risks their health for the one they love. If it had been the other way around, and it had been you who was injured and unconscious and it was me who was stuck with the Healers trying to convince them that doing…_our thing_ was the only way out of this and managed to get you to wake up and had succeeded, YOU would have been back here just like I am now!'

'But I told you not- hang on, can you see a bit better?'

Hermione looked around. She could see dark shapes moving around her, as if someone had just let the tiniest bit of light back into a room that had no windows.

'Yes, I can, actually, but don't think changing the subject will make me forget what I just said. I told Harry before I hexed myself, that I was coming back with you or not coming back at all. Now, I suggest you help me try and come up with a way out of here, Weasley, because I do not intend to be stuck here!'

'I'm still annoyed with you for not doing as I asked.'

'And I'm still annoyed with you for thinking I would.'

'I take it we believe that the other isn't a figment of our imagination anymore.'

'Well, even if you are, I'd rather pretend that your not and keep myself occupied with at least believing we're working our way out of here, wherever here is.'

'Like always, my love, I can't argue with your logic.'

…

Ron had absolutely no idea if he had gone insane, or whether he was actually hearing the woman he loved having an argument with himself.

He could see her, when he managed to gather the strength to open his eyes, and was more concerned when he saw her wander around in their field and then stand as if she was hugging someone. He presumed she thought she was hugging him. He just wished he could hug her once more.

He had somehow got used to the pain in his head, he knew it was still there, but it wasn't as bad as it had been when he had been holding her hands, he had honestly thought he was dying then, convinced no one could survive whatever had caused that pain in the first place. But apparently he had, because he was here now.

When he had woken up he had no strength to do anything, and he only just managed to open his eyes. That was when he saw her and his heart had filled with happiness and dread. She shouldn't have been there, he knew that his plan was going to work; she should be awake and healthy. But she was back here with him.

It was then that she opened her eyes and it was then that he felt a little stronger. He was holding her hand and knew it was doing him good. He wanted her to take his other hand, everything would be okay if she did that, but she hadn't. Instead she had put her forehead to his and it had all gone black again.

He managed to push himself onto his front. Somehow he reached his left arm forward and bent his right leg up behind him. He gripped the long grass between his fingers, and hoped that his foot wouldn't slip on the grass. With one almighty push from his leg, he moved forwards a few inches.

He slumped to the ground, exhausted but encouraged. He knew he had to get to Hermione and try and help her, clearly things weren't right.

When he had opened his eyes again she was not next to him as he remembered, she was a few metres away looking around her, and her arms were moving in a way that suggested she couldn't see anything. That worried him more than anything, it was daylight where they both were and there was no reason why she shouldn't be able to see where she was.

He reached his right arm forward and bent his left leg up behind him, he took a couple of deep breaths and heaved himself forward.

'What do you mean, _anything stupid_?'

She had taken a step back, which, thankfully, brought her closer to him. He carried on struggling to get to her, ignoring the burning in his muscles and the building pain in his head.

'Don't you dare take the moral high ground with me, Ronald Weasley!'

He laughed as he heaved himself forwards once more. Apparently in Hermione's subconscious, whatever situation 'they' were in, they were bickering.

This comforted him no end.

He managed to arrange himself so he was kneeling on the grass, his toes curled so he could stand up as and when he had the strength.

'Yes, I can, actually, but don't think changing the subject will make me forget what I just said. I told Harry before I hexed myself, that I was coming back with you or not coming back at all. Now, I suggest you help me try and come up with a way out of here, Weasley, because I do not intend to be stuck here!'

His dry sob caught him off guard. He had listened when she shouted at 'him' that he would have done the same had the tables been turned, and he couldn't fault her for thinking that – it was true after all.

With a huge push with his hands and his legs he managed to stand. He wobbled dangerously and his head swam. He stumbled forwards but managed to stay upright.

'And I'm still annoyed with you for thinking I would.'

He was behind her and needed her to turn around, he wasn't sure if he could do anything but stand there and sway.

'Well, even if you are, I'd rather pretend that you're not and keep myself occupied with at least believing we're working our way out of here, wherever here is.'

He had no idea what that meant, but she had done what he hoped, in looking for something she had turned around.

He did the only thing he could think of and took her hand.

…

The pain took her completely by surprise. She had closed her eyes instinctively but managed to open them.

When she did she was confused.

She was back in their sanctuary, but she could hardly call it that anymore. It was cold, the sky was dark and it was raining.

'R…Ron?' she said shakily, looking at the man in front of her.

He was nothing like the Ron she had just been arguing with and talking to.

'Hermione, I know you're confused, so am I, but you have to listen to me. You came back to get me, and you have no idea how much I love you for that even though I'm angry with you too. But you're here and I'm here and I'm guessing we have to help each other out of here. When I woke up you were here and it looked like you were meditating, but something changed because you lay down next to me and put your forehead next to mine. I know why you did that, it's what we did, wasn't it? That's how we helped each other heal, but something weird happened. We both blacked out, and when I woke up you were walking around and talking to me, but you couldn't see anything around you.'

She blinked the rain out of her eyes but couldn't stop looking at Ron. His hand tightened around hers and she winced as the pain in her head increased. Her legs started to shake and she felt a dizzy. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

'I managed to get myself over here towards you and I think you're back with me. Don't ask me about the weather, it just suddenly turned. I've never seen this place like this and frankly, it's starting to scare me. This used to be a place we came when we needed to help each other, but now it's like it doesn't want us here. I have no idea how I know that but I do, it's time for us to go, the thing is, I have no idea how to get us out of here.

She watched as he took a deep breath and took a step towards her.

Her legs shook dangerously and another wave of dizziness overcame her. She knew she was giving Ron the potion remnant he needed, but with every second she knew it was damaging her.

She had to stop it, but she didn't know how.

'Ron, you have to let go of my hand. Please. I need to stop it, or we'll be back where we were before you came to get me. We can't come back here, I know that now, whatever happens, whether one of us makes it out of here, both of us or neither of us, we can't come back here. We both know that. I have to control what I give you, or else, I'll be stuck here. Please, let go of my hand.'

She saw Ron hesitate a little bit but then he shook his head as if clearing his head of thoughts he couldn't understand.

'Of course.'

She felt him try and pull away but he couldn't let go of her hand.

'Please, Ron, now.'

She slumped to her knees.

'I can't let go, Hermione! I'm trying, believe me I'm trying!'

He sunk to his knees, and grabbed her arm with his other hand, trying to pull her hand away from his.

'Hermione, I can't let go! I'm sorry! I can't let go!'

Hermione smiled, despite the pain she was feeling. She knew this was it, that she would be here for eternity, but she was content in the knowledge that Ron would carry on.

'Ron, when you wake up, tell Mum and Dad, I'm sorry, but I had to, okay?'

'Don't you fucking dare start talking like that, Hermione Granger, you're going to wake up when I do, right?. You can beat this, you're mentally stronger than I am. Stop me taking it, stop me killing you, _please_. Do what you were doing when you first arrived, you were fine then. _Think_ Hermione, what were you doing at the beginning? We were holding hands then, and yet you were fine. I didn't get stronger, and you were fine. Whatever you did, _do it again!_'

She remembered. She remembered what she was doing, she had closed off her mind to him, and tried to think of him as just someone. Just a person, not Ronald Weasley: the man she loved.

She imagined her white room, but she couldn't get rid of Ron's face from her mind. She slowed her breathing, and tried to control her heart, which she could feel pounding against her rib cage.

Her head swam, but still she tried to block him out. The pain in her head levelled and she felt herself calm down a little. It was working, she could feel herself gain a little strength back.

'Please,' she whispered, 'help me, Ron.'

She felt his other hand press on her shoulder, and felt him move towards her.

He pressed his forehead against hers, and again the pain lessened. Still she imagined her white room, but then she saw them watching the sunrise together. She wiped the image from her mind, and brought herself back to her white room.

Ron pushing her off the chair, her being shoved into a dark classroom, their detentions together, their arguments, making each other's breakfast, they each invaded her mind one after the other, and with each memory the pain increased and she felt herself succumbing to the darkness that was invading her pristine white room.

Their shared dreams, their shared emotion, their shared pain, their first kiss…

She gasped as the pain increased, knowing this was it, that she had lost the battle, she put her hand on the back of Ron's head and tilted her head up so she could kiss him.

She poured everything she had never said to him into that kiss, how much she respected him, admired him and loved him.

They broke apart, neither knowing why they had or wanting to. They looked into each other's eyes and held their breaths.

'I love you,' Hermione whispered as her eyes closed.

'No, Hermione, don't you dare leave me.'

It felt like she was floating, all she could see was white.

'Hermione! I love you! Come back with me, okay? Don't you dare leave me!'

---

He gulped at the cold air surrounding him. He opened his eyes and saw Harry, Percy and Charles looking over him. He sat up momentarily confused.

'Hermione!' he whispered.

He turned and saw her lying on her back, her head turned away from him.

'Hermione, wake up, wake up! I told you not to stay, I told you to come back with me! _You have to have made it back!_'

He stopped and looked at her, looking for any sign that she was waking up.

Without thinking he leant down and kissed her softly.

She took a deep breath in, rising off the bed as she did, and then fell back down.

'Tell me that's a good sign, _please!_'

Ron ignored Charles' comment, waiting for any more reaction from Hermione.

'That's more than you did after Hermione had woken up,' Percy said, obviously trying to assure someone that what they had just witnessed was a good sign.

Ron frantically looked around the room, his eyes fell on the bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion.

'The potion!' he shouted.

'She's already had some, Ron! We gave her a bottle about' Harry checked his watch before continuing, 'forty minutes ago.'

'You did?' Ron asked, his brow furrowing.

'Yeah, we thought it might help, your weird thing can't be duplicated outside your body, but it wasn't logical that it couldn't duplicate itself when it was inside your body. We thought she would need all the stuff she could get, so forced her to take some potion once she'd hexed herself.'

'She needs some more! I tried not to take all of hers from her, but I don't know, it was weird, I couldn't control it. Hermione tried to slow it down and then stop it and it started to work, I know it did. I just don't know… Give her another bottle.'

'Ron, we don't know how much is safe for her to have. She's already had one whole bottle, too much could damage her arteries or her heart.'

Ron shook his head.

'She's allowed two bottles in an hour if in dire emergency, even if she's not lost anymore blood, after that it's no more than half a bottle every two hours. She'll be fine.'

'How the hell do you know that?' Harry asked without thinking.

'You don't go to all the trouble of stealing highly valuable potion from a hospital without knowing how much a person can have, do you? I have no idea why I brought it, it was just a hunch, and, you know, if you tap the label with your wand, the dosage instructions reveal themselves.'

Harry, Percy and Charles all looked at each other, Harry and Percy turning red with embarrassment.

'Let's pretend we didn't actually know that, and not admit we totally forgot it in the heat of the moment, okay?' Percy said with a shake of his head.

'Deal,' Harry said.

He walked to the desk and uncorked a bottle. Ron took it from him and looked down on Hermione.

'I don't think she's gonna swallow this on her own.'

'Oh, please, no, not again,' Charles said, pleadingly.

'What? Not what again?' Ron asked.

Harry and Percy looked at each other.

'Ron, this isn't going to be pleasant.

…

It had been fifteen minutes since Hermione had been given the potion. Ron had known in the back of his mind what was about to happen, but that still didn't mean he wasn't still shaking from watch Hermione be forced to swallow the potion.

Every couple of minutes he checked her pulse rate, it had been increasing slightly, but he had no idea whether that was a good thing or not.

'Ron, we have to get her to the hospital, now,' Charles said quietly but firmly. 'We've waited long enough, any longer and she may not wake up at all.'

It pained him to believe that Hermione hadn't been able to help herself, and that it had been him she had had to protect herself from, but he knew that the best place for her now, was back at St. Mungo's.

He nodded and heard footsteps cross the room and open the door. He stretched out beside her and put his leg over hers, he wound his arm underneath her back and buried his face in her hair.

'I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm truly sorry.'

For how many minutes he stayed like that he wasn't sure, but eventually he heard bangs down stairs and the sound of feet on the many stairs.

'I love you, Hermione, for ever and eternity.'

He kissed her temple and rested his forehead against hers.

'Good t…to know.'

He pulled back with a start and looked into Hermione's eyes, which were blinking.

'Hermione! Tell me I'm not dreaming, please, tell me I'm not dreaming.'

'What?' Charles said from the other side of the room.

'You're awake!' Ron whispered to Hermione.

She shuffled and tried to sit up but she shut her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead.

'Ron, what's-'

Charles crossed the room in five strides and fell to his knees next to the bed.

'Oh, thank God! Thank you, thank you, thank you.'

'Dad?' Hermione asked, her hand still on her forehead.

'I'm here, sweetheart, I'm here. And you have no idea how happy I am to see you back here, too.'

Hermione had started to push herself onto her elbows but stopped mid motion.

Suddenly she turned her head towards Ron.

'Merlin, it worked! We're back! Both of us! We're back!'

She sat up and wrapped her arms around Ron, who held her as tightly as she was holding him.

'Yep! You did it! You brought me back and managed to stop me taking all of the potion stuff. I woke up first and we gave you the Blood Replenishing Potion to help you duplicate what you had left, thankfully you woke up. We'd just sent for the Healers to come and take you back to the hospital and you woke up. I thought…I thought I'd lost you for good.'

The door opened and Harry walked in, with Healer Watson hurrying after him.

'Miss Granger! You're awake! When did this happen?' He demanded of Ron.

'Um, a couple of minutes ago…yeah.'

Healer Watson starting waving his wand over Hermione, spells covered her and surrounded her.

'I presume you're Healer Watson,' she said with a small frown.

'I am, Miss Granger, and you have no idea how relieved I am that you are safe and apparently, sound. Mister Weasley's actions could have put you in grave danger.'

'But they didn't, did they? I'm fine, I'm awake and Ron's fine and awake also.'

'Be that as it may, Miss Granger, removing you from the hospital without permission from a senior Healer was against the law and highly dangerous.'

Hermione sat up and waved away the coloured spirals that were currently circling her head.

'I do not at all wish to seem ungrateful, Healer Watson, I'm sure the care you gave me while in St. Mungo's was second to none, and for that, I thank you, but Ron didn't actually break the law. He, Harry and I have in place living wills, that instruct, should one of us be in a state where it is thought that recovery is not possible, then we are to be brought home, or somewhere similar. Isn't that right, Harry, Ron?'

Ron had no idea about what Hermione had just said, but he had a feeling she was trying to protect him from getting into trouble with the hospital and the Ministry.

'Yeah, yeah, that's right,' Harry answered from behind Ron.

Ron nodded in agreement and Hermione took his hand in hers.

'Ron was merely following my wishes.'

'It does not change the fact, Miss Granger, that he went about it in totally the wrong way. I do not want to go into the paperwork that is needed in this situation, because to be perfectly honest it bores me senseless, but it is in place for a reason. However, at the present time, my concern is not the legality of Mister Weasley's actions, it is of your health, Miss. Granger. I must insist that you accompany me to the hospital right away, so we can confirm you are in good health as my preliminary tests have indicated.'

Hermione nodded.

'I will accompany you to the hospital, Healer Watson, but in half an hour or so, I wish to talk to Ron, Harry, Percy and my mum and dad first. Your preliminary tests show you that I am fine, if a little tired, and that I will not come to any harm from spending another half an hour here.'

'But Miss Gra-'

'If you so wish, you can come back personally and get me, Healer Watson, but please just give me half an hour with my friends and family, first.'

Healer Watson took a deep breath and, realising Hermione wasn't moving until she wanted to, he stood and nodded at her.

'Half an hour, Miss Granger, then I will be back to personally escort you back to my ward.'

Hermione smiled.

'Thank you, Healer Watson.'

The Healer left the room.

'Thank you!' Ron said to Hermione, giving her a quick kiss.

'I won't let you get into trouble for this, that was the first thing I could think of, although,' she turned to harry and Percy, 'we may have to produce three pieces of parchment which state what I just said and look like they've been through what we have, in our back pockets for a year.'

Harry sniggered and Percy nodded his head.

'I'll work something out, Hermione.'

'Thanks, Percy.'

She turned back to Ron and kissed him again.

'I remember everything,' she said with a small smile.

'Me too,' Ron replied.

'It's a bit weird, I remember our first kiss as if it was yesterday, I remember you taking me to watch the sunset, I remember the fight we had and the way we made up, and I remember everything that happened when we were _there_.'

Ron smiled.

'Me, too. I have to say, that was a pretty explosive first kiss!'

They both laughed.

'You have to admit, I think it's best we never have that reaction when we kiss, ever again.'

'Yeah, I think you're right.'

Ron rubbed his eyes, which were stinging with tiredness.

'I think I'll go and freshen up; I haven't washed in longer than I wish you to know. I'll be back in a few minutes, I think we have some explaining to do.'

He looked over his shoulder and saw Harry, Percy and Charles waiting patiently for them to stop talking.

Hermione nodded. Ron got up off the bed and headed to the door at the far side of the room, he opened the door and stepped through to the very posh en-suite bathroom.

'Oh, Ron,' Hermione called at him. He turned around.

'Yeah?'

'Don't go falling asleep on the toilet, you know it does your neck no good.'

Ron's head dropped and he started laughing.

'Yep, you said you'd never let me forget that.'

'What can I say? I'm a woman of my word!'


	15. 15 Epilogue

**And so it ends... ::sniff::**

**What can I say, it's been fun and lasted a lot longer than I ever imagined but the final major story in the 'Together Forever?' universe is complete. Saying that I may not abandon this universe totally, I like the idea of doing the odd outtake, and if you want to see a specific scene written then let me know! I can make guarantees that it will be done quickly - I have a list of fic still to write on my laptop that has been there for way to long - but I will try my hardest. ::is a tryer::**

**So, yes, thank you for the reviews for both this and 'Together Forever?', I've been truly overwhelmed and I'm very thankful. A huge shout out must go to my big sis Solstice Muse, who has earned the title of Number 1 Cheerleader for this and TF. Thanks mate, your input and encouragement have been invaluable. ::loves and hugs:: ::hands you pom poms::**

**I'll shush now, if you could let me know what you think of the chapter or the whole story I'd be very much appreciative one last time.**

**Oh, just one more thing about this chapter, I've swung it back round to canon (_Nineteen Years Later_ canon to be precise) so really we're only half AU at the end. If that makes sense. lol  
**

**I'll be back soon. Much love,**

**Step ;) xxx  
**

* * *

**Epilogue**

...

'Well at least she caught the snitch whilst falling from her broom. Has anyone ever done that at Hogwarts before?'

'Ron! She's been unconscious for six hours and all you can think about is the outcome of the match!'

'Just trying to look on the bright side, my love.'

'_Bright side?_ Please, tell me you are joking.'

'Hermione, she'll wake up, she's just…'

'Just lost a ridiculous amount of blood and is taking far too long to recover!'

'Yes, I know, I think that's the fourth time in as many hours that you've said that. I know her condition, I'm just trying to keep my mind off it!'

_Bloody typical_, she thought, _I've been woken up after, apparently, six hours, by Mum and Dad bickering._ _Still, although I can't remember it, I caught the Snitch, that's got to be something!_

She opened her eyes and saw her parents at the foot of her bed, her mum pacing up and down and her dad sat in a chair, his feet up on the edge of the matress.

'Did I really catch the snitch as I was falling?' Rose said, her voice scratchy but firm.

She watched as both her parents looked at her with shocked faces.

'Rose! How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Your head? Your arm?' her mum asked, instantly moving to the head of the bed.

'Why? What happened to my head and my arm?'

She heard her dad chuckle as he put his hand gently on her head.

'How much do you remember, sweetheart?' her dad asked her.

'Um, we were quite a bit into the match, we were winning by…fifty or sixty points and…I think I'd just seen the snitch and was flying after it. Did I get battered by a Bludger or something?'

She turned her head towards her mum and a sharp pain went across her skull. She winced and swore.

'Never mind, I'll take the pain in my head as a yes.'

'There's some pain relief potion here for you, Rosie, can you sit up to drink it?'

Rose slowly pushed herself up from the bed with her dad's help. She took the bottle of potion off her mum and drank it awkwardly, trying not to move her head much. Instantly the pain in her head disappeared. She sighed contentedly.

'Thanks, that's much better.'

'Good, now I can tell you off for swearing!'

'Oh, come on, Hermione, I think we'll let her off for that.'

'Hmm.'

'Well, you gave us a bit of a fright, Rosie, you've been unconscious a lot longer than you should have been. Madam Pomfrey healed the hairline fracture in your skull, which wasn't as bad as it could've been, apparently, and she fixed your arm, which you broke because you decided to land on it.'

'Yes, Dad, because I intentionally decided to land on my arm.'

She saw him narrow his eyes but he chose to ignore her comment.

'Did you hear anything before you woke up? Hear us talking to you, or your brother telling you, you were crap at flying?'

'Cheeky sod! But no, I didn't hear anything, I was dreaming though, I remember dreaming and being in a really calming place. It was a really nice day, the sun was out, there was a warm breeze and I just lay in the grass, thinking. Was really relaxing actually.'

If she hadn't been looking at her dad, she would have missed the look he gave her mum. Both had a concerned but not quite believing look on their face, and then they both looked at the duvet.

'That er…that sounds lovely Rose. Very…very calming. Was there anything else there?'

She had no idea why her mum and dad were looking concerned and kept looking at each other, as if trying to perform legilimency.

'Er…I don't know, why?'

She saw them exchange glances again.

'Was there a tree near you?'

She was about to ask, yet again, what was going on, when she saw a full oak tree in her minds eye. She had walked past it, had seen there were marking on the bark, but had carried on and walked for a bit in the soft grass.

'Yeah, actually, there was, just one. Why did you ask specifically about the tree? What's going on? What aren't you telling me?'

'They said they couldn't find it in her blood. How has it now suddenly appeared?'

Rose was taken aback by her mum demanding answers from her dad that didn't appear to have anything to do with what she had just asked them both.

'We don't know it's appeared! This might just be a coincidence.'

'A coincidence! How could this be a coincidence?'

'Rose, have you ever heard your Mum and I talking about the place where you were in your dreams?'

She was getting frustrated that they were talking about her, while being stood right next to her, and was, therefore, taken aback by her Dad's question.

'What? No, I don't think so, not that I remember. Why would you have been talking about it?'

'Okay, well it could still be a coincidence.'

'What if it's not, Ron? What if she's inherited our…strange blood-connection cells and is going to suffer because of it?'

Her frustration and anger bubbled to the surface, she knew her mum normally had to talk through things to get thme straight in her head, but this was infuriating.

_'Will someone please tell me what's going on?'_

She didn't quite shout it, but she definitely made herself heard.

She watched as her parents turned to her and looked a little ashamed.

'Sorry, Rosie, we're just trying to work something out.'

'I figured that out, but if you could do it without scaring me shitless, I'd appreciate it! What the hell did I inherit off you and why will I suffer from it?'

---

She couldn't quite take it all in. Then again there had been a lot of information to absorb.

'So you…Uncle Harry's…and then…but…and now I-'

She shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind.

'You two were connected by blood after you accidentally swallowed Uncle Harry's exploding potion, and then you couldn't leave the room without the other, because you'd end up unconscious. You were then separated by Scorpius' Dad because, you'd broken his jaw, and that ended by you helping each other heal but once it was all over you couldn't remember anything.

'At the final battle you were injured,' she looked at her mum, 'and wouldn't wake up, because the stuff that was still in your blood had been all but wiped out and Dad had to…save you…somehow. Run that bit past me again.'

Ron took a deep breath.

'I fell asleep holding your mum's hand at the hospital one time, and during the time that I was asleep, I dreamt I was in our little sanctuary, which was pretty much exactly the same place that you described, Rosie. There was the tree that we described earlier and when I touched it, I couldn't take my hand away. Uncle Percy told me when I woke up that your mum had reacted. We managed to work out that I was transferring our weird blood cell things to her. Except no one would let me prove it, so I had to steal her from the hospital and hex myself to sleep at Grimmauld Place.'

Rose blinked.

S'o, it half worked, Mum woke up, but you were in the same state that Mum had been in, so she did the same thing you did but with the Blood Replenishing Potion that Uncle Harry, Uncle Percy and Granddad gave her, and the legilimency that you tried as you hexed yourself to sleep, you managed to bring both of you back.'

Her mum nodded.

'Something like that. We don't actually know what specifically helped bring us both back, but it must have been one thing or a combination of things that helped. Thankfully we've never had to try again so it's never mattered that we didn't know exactly what happened.'

'Luckily, neither of us has been injured and either lost blood, or managed to get an infection in our blood like what happened at the Final Battle. Touch Wood.'

Rose was slightly amused to see both her parents reach over to different bedside tables to touch the wood they were made of.

'So, because when I was healing I went to the place where you helped heal each other, you think I have your weird connection blood cells in my blood stream.'

'The day after you were born we had your blood checked, Rose, to see if the cells were in your blood stream.'

'I thought you said-'

'If they were looking for them, they were visible, but they couldn't do anything with them in the lab because the structure disintegrated.'

'Oh, right, so there weren't any there when I was born.'

'Not according to your mum's Healer at St. Mungo's, or the Department of Mysteries who took quite a big interest in our case notes.'

'The Department of Mysteries? Wow! That's impressive!'

Her dad laughed.

'So…what does this mean for me? What happens if I have your weird connection cells in my blood?'

'Well, let's think about this logically. Your Dad and me, from what we can gather may have been connected by the dodgy potion because we happened to be holding hands at the time, or it could have been because we were the only two to swallow it, or it could have been because, even though we would never have admitted at the time, we wanted to be…more than friends.'

Subconsciously Rose screwed up her nose, not needing to be reminded that her mum and dad were, at one point, her age, and going through the same things she was.

'Or, it could have been a combination of all of that, or something totally different that no one will ever know.'

'For whatever reason, your dad and me were connected and that connection grew until we finally admitted to each other how we felt, even though directly after that incident neither of us could remember anything from our connected time. We were connected by our feelings and the potion remnant in our blood, whereas you - if you do have the same cells we have – have simply got it because it's now so much a part of us that it would have been strange to not pass it on to you. Especially as both of us have it. Granted it wasn't a certainty, but we were pleasantly surprised when the Healers told us you hadn't the same cells that we do.'

'Has my blood been checked since I was born?' she asked. _Surely her mum would have had her checked more than once?_

'Yep!' she turned her head towards her dad. 'When you were five and then again when you turned eleven. The Healers were convinced that if the cells hadn't shown themselves by the time you had turned eleven – the time before which Magic normally shows itself in Wizarding children – then they never would.'

'Which is why I haven't been checked since then.'

'Which is why you haven't been checked since then.'

'Mysterious outbreak of Dragonpox, my arse!' she said with raised eyebrows.

'What else were we supposed to say?'

Rose didn't answer.

'I think the Healers overlooked something.'

She turned to her mum, interested in her thoughts. Her dad asked the obvious question.

'What?'

'Puberty.'

Rose felt herself blush and a quick glance at her dad showed he was doing the same.

_This is going to get embarrassing_.

'But…I thought that…_that…_had started a couple of years ago…you know…'

_Oh, Merlin, help me!_

'Well, yes, _that_ did…maybe it's… …Rose, do you fancy anyone at the minute?'

_Oh for- and here's me thinking it couldn't get any worse!_

She didn't want to answer this question because, as it happened, she had started to really like someone, she just hadn't really sorted out her feelings, so didn't want to shout about it. Admitting to her parents that she liked a specific boy in the year above her, was very low down on her 'to do' list.

'Um, maybe.'

She didn't need to look at her dad to know that he was looking at her, wide eyed.

'Well, if she has inherited our connection cells, then maybe her feelings of love-'

'Love!' she exclaimed at the same time she heard her dad shout _'What?'_

'Well, okay, maybe not love as such, but these types of feelings could have brought the cells' development on. Maybe making a connection-'

'She'll be making no type of _connection_ with anyone while she's still at school!'

Despite being shaken by what her mum had just said, she managed to roll her eyes at her dad's response to the idea of her having a boyfriend.

'Rose, can you remember dreaming of the field at any other time? During normal dreams, maybe?'

She started to shake her head, but then she remembered, a month or so earlier, how she had been ill with a stomach bug and had had some pretty weird dreams.

'Um, last time I was ill – that stomach thing I had that had me throwing up every twenty minutes – when I managed to sleep I think I might have dreamed of the field, but…I dunno, it was different, I think, a bit more…wild, maybe? I don't know, it was that long ago that I can't remember properly.'

Her mum sighed loudly.

'I wish I had some solid answers for you, Rose, but this whole thing was the most unpredictable thing I've ever experienced, so I'm guessing, if this is going to affect you, it will be the same. Logically though, it shouldn't affect you that much, you don't have someone who is connected to you directly, so, I wouldn't be worried. We'll get the Healers at St. Mungo's to check your blood again, and, you never know, your dad might be right. This whole thing might just be a coincidence. Maybe your relaxing place is the same as ours. You're our daughter after all, as much as it irritates you, you're more like us than you'd care to admit!'

She smiled.

'With this hair, I can hardly deny where I've come from, can I?'

She was glad to see her mum and dad laugh. She was still slightly concerned about what the results of the blood test would be, but they would deal with that as and when they knew what they were dealing with. There was no point in worrying about things that weren't certain. That was just a waste of energy.

She yawned and lay back on her pillows.

'Yep, definitely time you got some rest, Rosie. We'll be back later on, Harry, Ginny and Neville wanted to know when you woke up. Get some sleep okay?'

'Will do.'

She kissed her mum and dad goodbye and settled into her pillows. As much as her mind wouldn't leave the subject of all that she had heard, she managed to eventually clear her mind and drift off to sleep.

---

She wandered through the long grass barefoot, enjoying the sensation of the grass between her toes.

The sun was warm and the breeze kept her hair off her face. She looked to the horizon and smiled when a large oak tree appeared to her left.

She slowly made her way towards the tree but reached it much quicker than she thought she should.

As she walked up to the tree she realised there was markings on the bark. She moved closer still and she realised the marking were hearts with letters in. She smiled as she recognised the initials of her grandparents, etched inside the two hearts at the top.

Other hearts were scattered over the rest of the bark, she could see her Uncle Bill and Aunty Fleur's heart, Uncle Percy and Aunty Audrey's and then she spotted her mum and dad's heart.

She sat down so it was at her eye level and she frowned when she saw that it looked a little damaged. There were five dark circles around the edge of the heart that looked burned, but she remembered a story her mum and dad had told her, and it started to make sense.

She stood and started to walk away from the tree. She took one last glance over her shoulder and saw something at the bottom of the tree. A roughly cut heart was forming as if it was being etched by hand. She stopped and walked back to the tree. Her initials started to take form in the top half of the heart. She held her breath as marks started to appear under her initials. A horizontal line appeared on the left, a clumsy curve to the far right and then-.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat upright in her bed.

'Oh, come _on!_' she exclaimed, a little too loudly for the hospital wing.

She slumped back down onto her bed and growled in frustration.

'That's just mean!'

She shut her eyes but her mind raced, trying to match possible initials with people who she knew. She was a tiny bit disappointed when the initials didn't at all match the boy who presently had her attentions, but subconsciously shrugged her shoulders.

Divination had taught her one thing – the future was not set in stone.

Deciding she wasn't going to work out the mystery initials or match them to a mystery person, she set her mind to going back to sleep.

After a few minutes of relaxing a thought struck her, one that was both concerning and unbelievable.

'No bloody way!'

---

_.fin._


End file.
